P1NOOCH1O 


AFRIC 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


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from  ffie  Jralian 

of  Cfierubinl  £>y 


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Original  Drawings  by 

Cfiartes  Cope/and 


Gtnn  and  Company 

Jbosfon  -JVewyorfc-  Chicago  London 


COPYRIGHT,  1911,  BY  ANGELO  PATRI 
ALL   RIGHTS    RESERVED 


fltbcngum 


GINN  AND  COMPANY  •  PRO- 
PRIETORS •  BOSTON  •  U.S.A. 


PREFACE 

COLLODI'S  "  Pinocchio "  tells  the  story  of  a 
wooden  marionette  and  of  his  efforts  to  become  a 
real  boy.  Although  he  was  kindly  treated  by  the 
old  woodcutter,  Geppetto,  who  had  fashioned  him 
out  of  a  piece  of  kindling  wood,  he  was  continually 
getting  into  trouble  and  disgrace.  Even  Fatina, 
the  Fairy  with  the  Blue  Hair,  could  not  at  once 
change  an  idle,  selfish  marionette  into  a  studious 
and  reliable  boy.  His  adventures,  including  his 
brief  transformation  into  a  donkey,  give  the  author 
an  opportunity  to  teach  a  needed  and  wholesome 
lesson  without  disagreeable  moralizing. 

Pinocchio  immediately  leaped  into  favor  as  the 
hero  of  Italian  juvenile  romance.  The  wooden 
marionette  became  a  popular  subject  for  the 
artist's  pencil  and  the  story-teller's  invention. 
Brought  across  the  seas,  he  was  welcomed  by 
American  children  and  now  appears  in  a  new  vol- 
ume which  sets  forth  his  travels  in  Africa.  The 


217080 


vi  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

lessons  underlying  his  fantastic  experiences  are 
clear  to  the  youngest  readers,  but  are  never  allowed 
to  become  obtrusive.  The  amusing  illustrations 
of  the  original  are  fully  equaled  in  the  present  edi- 
tion, while  the  whimsical  nonsense  which  delights 
Italian  children  has  been  reproduced  as  closely 
as  a  translation  permits. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.   WHY  PINOCCHIO  DID  NOT  GO  TO  SCHOOL  i 
II.   PINOCCHIO   ASSISTS  IN   WELCOMING    THE 

CIRCUS 5 

III.  PINOCCHIO  AMONG  THE  WILD  ANIMALS  .  7 

IV.  PINOCCHIO    MAKES    FRIENDS    WITH    THE 

WILD  ANIMALS 12 

V.   PINOCCHIO  DETERMINES  TO  GO  TO  AFRICA  16 

VI.   PINOCCHIO  IN  DOUBT 20 

VII.     HE    BIDS    GOOD-BY   TO   THE    ANIMALS      .     .  23 

VIII.   PINOCCHIO  DOES  NOT  SLEEP 27 

IX.   PINOCCHIO  EATS  DATES 3° 

X.   PINOCCHIO  LANDS  ON  A  ROCK 33 

XI.   THE  FIRST  NIGHT  IN  APRICA 36 

XII.   PINOCCHIO  is  WELL  RECEIVED 40 

XIII.   PINOCCHIO  is  ARRESTED 43 

XIV.  PINOCCHIO'S  FATHER 47 

XV.   PINOCCHIO  SELLS  DRINKING  WATER     .    .  50 

XVI.   A  RIDE  ON  A  DOG'S  BACK 52 

XVII.   THE  CAVE 54 

XVIII.  THE  CARAVAN 56 

XIX.   THE  BABY  PULLS  HIS  NOSE 5$ 

XX.   PINOCCHIO  TRAVELS  WITH  THE  CARAVAN  62 

XXI.     HE   IS   OFFERED   FOR   SALE 64 


viii  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXII.  THE  BIRD  IN  THE  FOREST 67 

XXIII.  His  ADVENTURE  WITH  A  LION      ....  71 

XXIV.  PINOCCHIO  is  BROUGHT  BEFORE  THE  KING  76 
XXV.  THE  MONKEYS  STONE  THE  MARIONETTE   .  82 

XXVI.   PINOCCHIO  DREAMS  AGAIN 85 

XXVII.   PINOCCHIO  is  CARRIED  AWAY  IN  AN  EGG- 
SHELL    88 

XXVIII.   PINOCCHIO  ESCAPES  AGAIN 92 

XXIX.  PINOCCHIO  is  SWALLOWED  BY  A  CROCO- 
DILE    95 

XXX.   PINOCCHIO  is  MADE  EMPEROR 99 

XXXI.   His  FIRST  NIGHT  AS  EMPEROR 103 

XXXII.    HE   SENDS  FOR   THE    ROYAL    DOCTOR      .     .    107 

XXXIII.  AN  OLD  STORY no 

XXXIV.  His  DUTIES  AS  EMPEROR 113 

XXXV.   PINOCCHIO  MAKES  HIS  FIRST  ADDRESS    .    .   119 

XXXVI.  THE  EMPEROR  BECOMES  AS  BLACK  AS  A 

CROW 124 

XXXVII.  THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS  HUNT 128 

XXXVIII.  THE  EMPEROR  SURPRISES  HIS  SUBJECTS 

BY  HIS  WISDOM 133 

XXXIX.   PINOCCHIO  TRAVELS  THROUGH  THE  EMPIRE  139 
XL.   PINOCCHIO  is  PLACED  IN  A  CAGE  ....   144 
XLI.   PINOCCHIO  PERFORMS  FOR  THE  PUBLIC    .   147 
XLII.  PINOCCHIO  BREAKS  THE  CAGE  AND  MAKES 

ms  ESCAPE 150 


PINOCCHIO    IN   AFRICA 


CHAPTER    I 
WHY  PINOCCHIO  DID   NOT  GO  TO  SCHOOL 

ONE  morning  Pinocchio  slipped  out  of  bed 
before  daybreak.  He  got  up  with  a  great  desire 
to  study,  a  feeling,  it  must  be  confessed,  which 
did  not  often  take  hold  of  him.  He  dipped  his 
wooden  head  into  the  cool,  refreshing  water, 
puffed  very  hard,  dried  himself,  jumped  up  and 
down  to  stretch  his  legs,  and  in  a  few  moments 
was  seated  at  his  small  work  table. 

There  was  his  home  work  for  the  day,  —  twelve 
sums,  four  pages  of  penmanship,  and  the  fable 
of  "The  Dog  and  the  Rabbit"  to  learn  by  heart. 
He  began  with  the  fable,  reciting  it  in  a  loud  voice, 


PINOCCHIO    IN    AFRICA 


like  the  hero  in  the  play:  "'A  dog  was  roaming 
about  the  fields,  when  from  behind  a  little  hill 
jumped  a  rabbit,  which  had  been  nibbling  the 
tender  grass.' 

"Roaming,  nibbling. — The  teacher  says  this  is 
beautiful  language.  Maybe  it  is;  I  have  nothing 
to  say  about  that.  Well,  once  more. 

"'A  dog  was  roaming  about  the  fields  —  when 
he  saw  —  run  out  —  a  rabbit  which  —  which  —  '  I 
don't  know  it;  let's  begin  again.  'A  dog  was 
running  about  eating,  eating  -  '  But  eating  what? 
Surely  he  did  not  eat  grass! 

"This  fable  is  very  hard;  I  cannot  learn  it. 
Well,  I  never  did  have  much  luck  with  dogs  and 
rabbits!  Let  me  try  the  sums.  Eight  and  seven, 
seventeen;  and  three,  nineteen;  and  six,  twenty- 
three;  put  down  two  and  carry  three.  Nine  and 
three,  eleven;  and  four,  fourteen;  put  down  the 
whole  number  —  one,  four:  total,  four  hundred 
thirteen. 

"Ah!  good!  very  good!  I  do  not  wish  to 
boast,  but  I  have  always  had  a  great  liking  for 
arithmetic.  Now  to  prove  the  answer:  eight  and 
seven,  sixteen;  and  three,  twenty-one;  and  six, 
twenty-four;  put  down  four  —  why!  it's  wrong! 
Eight  and  seven,  fourteen;  and  three,  nineteen; 
and  six  —  wrong  again ! 


PINOCCHIO    DID    NOT    GO   TO    SCHOOL       3 

"I  know  what  the  trouble  is;  the  wind  is  not 
in  the  right  quarter  to-day  for  sums.  Perhaps 
it  would  be  better  to  take  a  walk  in  the  open." 

No  sooner  said  than  done.  Pinocchio  went 
out  into  the  street  and  filled  his  lungs  with  the 
fresh  morning  air. 


7 


"Ah!  here,  at  least,  one  can  breathe.  It  is  a 
pity  that  I  am  beginning  to  feel  hungry.  Strange 
how  things  go  wrong  sometimes!  Take  the  les- 
sons —  "  he  went  on. 

Listen!  A  noise  of  creaking  wheels,  of  bells 
ringing,  the  voices  of  people,  the  cries  of  animals! 
Pinocchio  stopped  short.  What  could  it  all  mean? 

Down  the  street  came  a  huge  wagon  drawn  by 
three  big  mules.  Behind  it  was  a  long  train  of 
men  and  women  dressed  in  the  strangest  fashion. 


PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 


Some  were  on  foot,  some  on  horseback,  some  sat 
or  lay  on  other  wagons  larger  and  heavier  than 
the  first.  Two  Moors,  their  scarlet  turbans  blaz- 
ing in  the  sun,  brought  up  the  rear.  With  spears 
at  rest  and  with  shields  held  before  them,  they 
rode  along,  mounted  on  two  snow-white  horses. 

Pinocchio  stood  with  his  mouth  wide  open. 
Only  after  the  two  Moors  had  passed  did  he  dis- 
cover the  fact  that  he  had  legs,  and  that  these 
were  following  on  behind  the  procession.  And  he 
walked,  walked,  walked,  until  the  carriages  and 
all  the  people  stopped  in  the  big  town  square.  A 
man  with  a  deep  voice  began  to  give  orders.  In  a 
short  time  there  arose  an  immense  tent,  which 
hid  from  Pinocchio  and  the  many  others  who  had 
gathered  in  the  square  all  those  wonderful  wagons, 
horses,  mules,  and  strange  people. 

It  may  seem  odd,  but  it  is  a  fact  that  the  school 
bell  began  to  ring  and  Pinocchio  never  heard  it! 


CHAPTER    II 
PINOCCHIO  ASSISTS  IN  WELCOMING  THE  CIRCUS 

THAT  day  the  school  bell  rang  longer  and  louder 
perhaps  than  it  was  wont  to  ring  on  other  days. 
What  of  that?  From  the  tent  came  the  loud 
clanging  of  hammers,  the  sounds  of  instruments, 
the  neighing  of  horses,  the  roaring  of  lions  and 
tigers  and  panthers,  the  howling  of  wolves,  the 
bleating  of  camels,  the  screeching  of  monkeys! 
Wonderful  noises!  Who  cared  for  the  school 
bell?  Pinocchio?  No,  not  he. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  loud  command.  All  was 
still. 

The  two  Moors  raised  the  tent  folds  with  their 
spears.  Out  came  a  crowd  of  men  dressed  in  all 
sorts  of  fine  clothes,  and  women  in  coats  of  mail 

S 


PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 


and  beautiful  cloaks  of  silk,  with  splendid  diadems 
on  their  heads.  They  were  all  mounted  upon 
horses  covered  with  rich  trappings  of  red  and  white. 

Out  they  marched,  and  behind  them  came  a 
golden  carriage  drawn  by  four  white  ponies.  In 
it  was  the  big  man  with  the  deep  voice.  There 
he  sat  in  the  beautiful  carriage  with  his  dazzling 
high  hat  and  his  tall  white  collar.  He  wore  a 
black  suit  with  a  pair  of  high  boots.  As  he  rode 
on  he  waved  his  white  gloves  and  bowed  right  and 
left.  The  band  with  its  trumpets  and  drums  and 
cymbals  struck  up  a  stirring  march,  and  a  parade 
such  as  the  townsfolk  had  never  seen  before 
passed  out  among  the  crowds  that  now  filled  the 
square. 

The  marionette  could  not  believe  his  eyes.  He 
rubbed  them  to  see  if  he  was  really  awake.  He 
forgot  all  about  his  hunger.  What  did  he  care 
for  that?  The  wonders  of  the  whole  world  were 
before  him. 

The  parade  soon  reentered  the  tent.  The  two 
Moors,  mounted  upon  their  snow-white  horses, 
again  stood  at  the  entrance.  Then  the  director, 
the  man  with  the  loud  voice,  came  out,  hat  in 
hand,  and  began  to  address  the  people. 


CHAPTER    III 
PINOCCHIO  AMONG  THE  WILD  ANIMALS 

" LADIES  and  gentlemen!  kind  and  gentle 
people!  citizens  of  a  great  town!  officers  and 
soldiers!  I  wish  you  all  peace,  health,  and  plenty. 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  first  of  all,  let  me  make 
a  brief  explanation.  I  am  not  here  for  gain.  Far 
be  it  from  me  to  think  of  such  a  thing  as  money. 
I  travel  the  world  over  with  my  menagerie,  which 
is  made  up  of  rare  animals  brought  by  me  from 
the  heart  of  Africa.  I  perform  only  in  large  cities. 
But  to-day  one  of  the  monkeys  of  the  troupe  is 
fallen  seriously  ill.  It  is  therefore  necessary  to 
make  a  short  stop  in  order  that  we  may  consult 
some  well-known  doctor  in  this  town. 

"  Profit,  therefore,  by  this  chance,  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  to  see  wonders  which  you  have  never 
seen  before,  and  which  you  may  never  see  again. 

7 


8  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

I  labor  to  spread  learning,  and  I  work  to  teach 
the  masses,  for  I  love  the  common  people.  Come 
forward,  and  I  shall  be  glad  to  open  my  menagerie 
to  you.  Forward,  forward,  ladies  and  gentlemen! 
two  small  francs  will  admit  you.  Children  one 
franc,  yes,  only  one  franc." 

Pinocchio,  who  stood  in  the  front  row,  and  who 
was  ready  to  take  advantage  of  the  kind  invitation, 
felt  a  sudden  shock  on  hearing  these  last  words. 
He  looked  at  the  director  in  a  dazed  fashion,  as 
if  to  say  to  him,  "What  are  you  talking  about? 
Did  you  not  say  that  you  traveled  around  the 
world  for  — 

Then,  as  he  saw  one  of  the  spectators  put  down 
a  two-franc  piece  and  walk  inside,  he  hung  his 
head  and  suffered  in  silence. 

Having  passed  two  or  three  minutes  in  pain- 
ful thinking,  the  forlorn  marionette  put  his 
hands  into  his  pockets,  hoping  to  find  in  them 
a  forgotten  coin.  He  found  nothing  but  a  few 
buttons. 

He  racked  his  brains  to  think  of  some  plan 
whereby  he  could  get  the  money  that  was  needed. 
He  glanced  at  his  clothes,  which  he  would  cheer- 
fully have  sold  could  he  have  found  a  buyer.  Not 
knowing  what  else  to  do,  he  walked  around  the 
tent  like  a  wolf  prowling  about  the  sheepfold. 


PINOCCHIO  AMONG  WILD  ANIMALS         9 

Around  and  around  he  went  till  he  found  himself 
near  an  old  wall  which  hid  him  from  view.  He 
came  nearer  the  tent  and  to  his  joy  discovered  a 
tiny  hole  in  the  canvas.  Here  was  his  chance! 
He  thrust  in  his  thin  wooden  finger,  but,  seized 


with  a  sudden  fear  lest  some  hungry  lion  should 
see  it  and  bite  it  off,  he  hastily  tried  to  pull  it 
out  again.  In  doing  this,  somehow  "  r-r-rip  "  went 
the  canvas,  and  there  was  a  tear  a  yard  wide. 
Pinocchio  shook  with  fear.  But  fear  or  no  fear, 
there  was  the  hole  and  beyond — were  the  wonders 
of  Africa! 

First  an  arm,  then  his  head,  and  then  his  whole 
body  went  into  the  cage  of  wild  animals!     He 


io  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

could  not  see  them,  but  he  heard  them,  and  he  was 
filled  with  awe.  The  beasts  had  seen  him.  He 
felt  himself  grasped  at  once  by  the  shoulders  and 
by  the  end  of  his  nose.  Two  or  three  voices 
shouted  in  his  ears,  "Who  goes  there?" 

"For  pity's  sake,  Mr.  Elephant!"  said  poor 
Pinocchio. 

"There  are  no  elephants  here." 

"Pardon,  Sir  Lion." 

"There  are  no  lions  here." 

"Excuse  me,  Mr.  Tiger." 

"There  are  no  tigers." 

"Mr.  Monkey?" 

"No  monkeys." 

"Men?" 

"There  are  neither  men  nor  women  here;  there 
are  only  Africans  from  Africa,  who  imitate  wild 
beasts  for  two  francs  and  a  half  a  day." 

"But  the  elephants,  where  are  they?" 

"In  Africa." 

"And  the  lions?" 

"In  Africa." 

"And  the  tigers  and  the  monkeys?" 

"In  Africa.  And  you,  where  do  you  come  from? 
What  are  you  doing  in  the  cage  of  the  wild 
beasts?  Didn't  you  see  what  is  written  over  the 
door?  NO  ONE  ALLOWED  TO  ENTER." 


PINOCCHIO  AMONG  WILD  ANIMALS       n 

"I  cannot  read  in  the  dark,"  replied  Pinocchio, 
trembling  from  head  to  foot;  "I  am  no  cat." 

At  these  words  everybody  began  to  laugh. 
Pinocchio  felt  a  little  encouraged  and  murmured 
to  himself,  "They  seem  to  be  kind  people,  these 
wild  beasts." 

He  wanted  to  say  something  pleasant  to  them, 
but  just  then  the  director  of  the  company  began 
to  shout  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 


CHAPTER    IV 

PINOCCHIO  MAKES   FRIENDS  WITH  THE  WILD 
ANIMALS 

"COME  forward,  come  forward,  ladies  and 
gentlemen!  The  cost  is  small  and  the  pleasure 
is  great.  The  show  will  last  an  hour,  only  one 
hour.  Come  forward!  See  the  battle  between 
the  terrible  lion  Zumbo  and  his  wife,  the  ferocious 
lioness  Zumba.  Behold  the  tiger  that  wrestles 
with  the  polar  bear,  and  the  elephant  that  lifts 
the  whole  weight  of  the  tent  with  his  powerful 
trunk.  See  the  animals  feed.  Ladies  and  gentle- 
men, come  forward!  Only  two  francs!" 

At  these  words  the  men  in  the  cages  of  the  wild 
animals  put  horns,  sea  shells,  and  whistles  to  their 
mouths,  and  the  next  moment  there  came  wild 
roarings  and  howls  and  shrieks.  It  was  enough  to 
make  one  shudder  with  fear. 

12 


PINOCCHIO  MAKES  FRIENDS  13 

Again  the  director  raised  his  voice:  "Come 
forward,  come  forward,  ladies  and  gentlemen! 
two  francs;  children  only  one  franc." 

The  music  started :  Boom  !  Boom  !  Boom  ! 
Par-ap'-ap'-ap'-pa!  Boom!  Boom!  Boom!  Par- 
ap'ap'ap'pa!  parap' ap' ap' pa  ! 

One  surprise  seemed  to  follow  another.  Pinoc- 
chio  longed  to  enjoy  the  sights,  but  how  was  he  to 
get  out  of  the  cage?  At  length,  taking  his  courage 
in  both  hands,  he  said  politely,  "  Excuse  me,  gentle- 
men, but  if  you  have  no  commands  to  give  me— 

"Not  a  command!"  roughly  answered  the 
bearded  man  who  played  the  lion.  "If  you  do  not 
go  away  quickly,  I  will  have  you  eaten  up  by  that 
large  ape  behind  you." 

"But  I  should  be  hard  to  digest,"  said  the 
marionette. 

"Boy,  be  careful  how  you  talk,"  exclaimed  the 
same  voice. 

"I  said  that  your  ape  would  have  indigestion 
if  he  ate  me,"  replied  Pinocchio.  "Do  you  think 
that  I  am  joking?  No,  I  am  in  earnest.  He 
really  would.  I  came  in  here  by  chance  while 
returning  from  a  walk,  and  if  you  will  permit  me, 
I  will  go  home  to  my  father  who  is  waiting  for  me. 
As  you  have  no  orders  to  give  me,  many  thanks, 
good-by,  and  good  luck  to  you." 


14  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

"Listen,  boy,"  said  the  large  man  who  took 
the  part  of  the  elephant;  "I  am  very  thirsty, 
and  I  will  give  you  a  fine  new  penny  if  you  will 
fill  this  bucket  at  the  fountain  and  bring  it  to 
me." 

"What!"  replied  Pinocchio,  greatly  offended; 
"I  am  no  servant!  However,  this  time,  merely  to 
please  you,  I  will  go."  And  crawling  through 
the  hole  by  which  he  had  entered,  he  went  out  to 
the  fountain  and  returned  in  a  very  short  time 
with  the  bucket  full  of  water. 

"Good  boy,  good  marionette!"  said  the  men  as 
they  passed  the  bucket  from  one  to  another. 

Pinocchio  was  happy.  Never  had  he  felt  so 
happy  as  at  that  moment.  "What  good  people!" 
he  said  to  himself.  "I  would  gladly  stay  with 
them."  In  the  meantime  the  bucket  was  emptied, 
and  there  were  still  some  who  had  not  had  a 
drink.  "I  will  go  and  refill  it,"  said  the  mario- 
nette promptly.  And  without  waiting  to  be  asked, 
he  took  the  bucket  and  flew  to  the  fountain. 

When  he  returned  they  flattered  him  so  cleverly 
with  praise  and  thanks  that  a  'strong  friendship 
sprang  up  between  Pinocchio  and  the  wild  beasts. 

Being  a  woodenhead  he  forgot  about  his  father 
and  did  not  go  away  as  he  had  intended  to  do. 
In  fact,  he  was  curious  to  know  something  of  the 


PINOCCHIO  MAKES  FRIENDS  15 

history  of  these  people,  who  were  forced  to  play 
at  being  wild  animals. 

After  a  moment's  silence  he  turned  to  the  one 
who  had  asked  him  to  go  for  the  water  and  said, 
"You  are  from  Africa?" 

"Yes,  I  am  an  African,  and  all  my  companions 
are  African." 

"How  interesting!  but  pardon  me,  is  Africa  a 
beautiful  country?" 

"I  should  say  so!  A  country,  my  dear  boy, 
full  of  plenty,  where  everything  is  given  away 
free!  A  country  in  which  at  any  moment  the 
strangest  things  may  happen.  A  servant  may 
become  a  master;  a  plain  citizen  may  become  a 
king.  There  are  trees,  taller  than  church  steeples, 
with  branches  touching  the  ground,  so  that  one  may 
gather  sweet  fruit  without  the  least  trouble.  My 
boy,  Africa  is  a  country  full  of  enchanted  forests, 
where  the  game  allows  itself  to  be  killed,  quartered, 
and  hung;  where  riches  - 

No  one  knows  how  far  this  description  would 
have  gone,  if  at  that  moment  the  voice  of  the 
director  had  not  been  heard.  The  music  had 
stopped,  and  the  director  was  talking  to  the  people, 
who  did  not  seem  very  willing  to  part  with  their 
money. 


CHAPTER    V 
PINOCCHIO  DETERMINES  TO  GO  TO  AFRICA 

PINOCCHIO  had  already  resolved  to  go  to  Africa 
to  eat  of  the  fruit  and  to  gather  riches.  He  was 
eager  toiearn  more,  and  impatient  of  interruption. 

"And  the  director  is  an  African  also?" 

"Certainly  he  is  an  African." 

"And  is  he  very  rich?" 

"Is  he  rich?  Take  my  word  for  it  that  if  he 
would,  he  could  buy  up  this  whole  country." 

Pinocchio  was  struck  dumb.  Still  he  wanted 
to  make  the  men  believe  that  what  he  had  heard 
was  not  altogether  new  to  him.  "Oh,  I  know  that 
Africa  is  a  very  beautiful  country,  and  I  have 
often  planned  to  go  there,  —  and  —  if  I  were  sure 
that  it  would  not  be  too  much  trouble  I  would 
willingly  go  with  you." 

16 


UNIVERSITY  I] 

^ 

ES  TO  GO  TO  AFRICA       17 

"With  us?     We  are  not  going  to  Africa." 

"What  a  pity!  I  thought  I  could  make  the 
journey  in  your  company." 

"Are  you  in  earnest?"  asked  the  bearded  man. 
"Do  you  believe  that  there  is  any  Africa  outside 
this  tent?" 

"Tent  or  no  tent,  I  have  decided  to  go  to  Africa, 
and  I  shall  go,"  boldly  replied  the  marionette. 

"I  like  that  youngster,"  said  the  man  who 
played  the  part  of  a  crocodile.  "That  boy  will 
make  his  fortune  some  day." 

"Of  course  I  shall!"  continued  Pinocchio.  "I 
ought  to  have  fifty  thousand  francs,  because  I 
must  get  a  new  jacket  for  my  father,  who  sold 
his  old  one  to  buy  me  a  spelling  book.  If  there 
is  so  much  gold  and  silver  in  Africa,  I  will  fill  up  a 
thousand  vessels.  Is  it  true  that  there  is  a  great 
deal  of  gold  and  silver?" 

"Did  we  not  tell  you  so?"  replied  another  voice. 
"Why,  if  I  had  not  lost  all  that  I  had  put  in  my 
pockets  before  leaving  Africa,  by  this  time  I  should 
have  become  a  prince.  And  now  were  it  not  for 
the  fact  that  I  have  promised  to  stay  with  these 
people,  to  be  a  panther  at  two  francs  and  a  half 
a  day,  I  would  gladly  go  along  with  you." 

"Thank  you;  thank  you  for  your  good  inten- 
tions," answered  the  marionette.  "In  case  you 


i8  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

decide  to  go  with  me,  I  start  to-morrow  morning 
at  dawn." 

"On  what  steamship?" 

"What  did  you  say?"  asked  Pinbcchio. 

"On  what  steamship  do  you  sail?" 

"Sail!     I  am  going  on  foot." 

At  these  words  everybody  laughed. 

"There  is  little  to  laugh  at,  my  dear  people. 
If  you  knew  how  many  miles  I  have  traveled  on 
these  legs  by  day  and  by  night,  over  land  and 
sea,  you  would  not  laugh.  What!  do  you  think 
Fairyland,  the  country  of  the  Blockheads,  and 
the  Island  of  the  Bees  are  reached  in  a  single 
stride?  I  go  to  Africa,  and  I  go  on  foot." 

"But  it  is  necessary  to  cross  the  Mediterranean 
Sea." 

"It  will  be  crossed." 

"On  foot?" 

"Either  on  foot  or  on  horseback,  it  matters 
little.  But  pardon  me,  after  crossing  the  Medi- 
terranean Sea,  do  you  reach  Africa?" 

"Certainly,  unless  you  wish  to  go  by  way  of  the 
Red  Sea." 

"The  Red  Sea?     No,  truly!" 

"Perhaps  the  route  over  the  Red  Sea  would  be 
better." 

"I  do  not  wish  to  go  near  the  Red  Sea." 


DETERMINES  TO  GO  TO  AFRICA  19 

"And  why?"  asked  the  wolf  man,  who  up  to 
this  time  had  not  opened  his  mouth. 

"Why?  why?  Because  I  do  not  wish  to  get  my 
clothes  dyed;  do  you  understand?" 

More  laughter  greeted  these  words.  Pinocchio's 
wooden  cheeks  got  very  red,  and  he  spluttered: 
"This  is  no  way  to  treat  a  gentleman.  I  shall  do 
as  I  please,  and  I  do  not  please  to  enter  the  Red 
Sea.  That  is  enough.  Now  I  shall  leave  you," 
and  he  started  off. 

"Farewell,  farewell,  marionette!" 

"Farewell,  you  impolite  beasts!"  Pinocchio 
wanted  to  call  out,  but  he  did  not. 

"Come  back!"  cried  the  bearded  man;  "here  is 
the  bucket;  please  fill  it  once  more,  for  I  am  still 
thirsty." 


CHAPTER    VI 
PINOCCHIO  IN  DOUBT 

PINOCCHIO  went  away  very  angry,  vowing  that 
he  would  avenge  himself  on  all  who  had  laughed 
at  him. 

"To  begin  with,"  said  he,  "I  intend  to  make 
them  all  die  of  thirst.  If  they  wait  to  drink  of 
the  water  that  I  bring,  they  will  certainly  die." 
With  these  thoughts  in  his  mind  the  marionette 
started  homeward,  carrying  the  bucket  on  his  head. 

"The  bucket  will  repay  me  for  all  the  work  I 
have  had  put  upon  me.  How  unlucky  we  children 
are!  Wherever  we  go,  there  is  always  something 
for  us  to  do.  To-day  I  thought  I  would  simply 
enjoy  myself;  instead,  I  have  had  to  carry  water 
for  a  company  of  strangers.  How  absurd!  two 

20 


PINOCCHIO  IN  DOUBT  21 

trips,  one  after  the  other,  to  give  drink  to  people  I 
do  not  know!  And  how  they  drink!  they  seem 
to  be  sponges.  For  my  part  they  can  be  thirsty 
as  long  as  they  like.  I  feel  now  as  if  I  would 
never  again  move  a  finger  for  them.  I  am  not 
going  to  be  laughed  at." 

As  he  finished  these  remarks  Pinocchio  arrived 
at  the  fountain.  It  was  delightful  to  see  the  clear 
water  rushing  out,  but  he  could  not  help  thinking 
of  those  poor  creatures  who  were  waiting  for  him. 
He  had  to  stop. 

" Shall  I  or  shall  I  not?"  he  asked  himself. 
"  After  all,  they  are  good  people,  who  are  forced 
to  imitate  wild  animals;  and  besides,  they  have 
treated  me  with  some  kindness.  I  may  as  well 
carry  some  water  to  them;  a  trip  more  or  less 
makes  no  difference  to  me." 

He  approached  the  fountain,  filled  the  bucket, 
and  ran  down  the  road. 

" Hello  within  there!"  he  said  in  a  low  voice. 
"Here  is  the  bucket  of  water;  come  and  take  it, 
for  I  am  not  going  in." 

"Good  marionette,"  said  the  beasts,  "thank 
you!" 

"Don't  mention  it,"  replied  Pinocchio,  very 
happy. 

"Why  will  you  not  come  in?" 


22  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

"It  is  impossible,  thank  you.  I  must  go  to 
school." 

"Then  you  are  not  going  to  Africa?" 

"Who  told  you  that?  I  am  returning  to  school 
to  bid  farewell  to  my  teacher,  and  to  ask  him  to 
excuse  me  for  a  few  days.  Then  I  wish  to  see 
my  father  and  ask  his  permission  to  go,  so  that  he 
will  not  be  anxious  while  I  am  away." 

"Excellent  marionette,  you  will  become  famous." 

"What  agreeable  people!"  thought  Pinocchio. 
"I  am  sorry  to  leave  them." 

"So  you  really  will  not  come  in?" 

"No,  I  have  said  so  before.  I  must  go  to  school 
first,  and  then  — 

"But  it  seems  to  me  rather  late  for  school," 
said  the  crocodile  man. 

"That  is  true;  it  is  too  late  for  school,"  replied 
Pinocchio. 

"Well,  then,  stay  a  little  longer  with  us,  and 
later  you  can  go  home  to  your  father." 

Pinocchio  thrust  his  head  through  the  hole  and 
leaped  into  the  tent.  The  naughty  marionette 
had  not  the  least  desire  to  go  to  school,  and  was 
only  too  glad  of  an  excuse  to  watch  these  strange 
people. 


CHAPTER    VII 
HE  BIDS   GOOD-BY  TO  THE   ANIMALS 

THE  show  had  begun.  The  director  was  explain- 
ing to  the  people  the  wonders  of  his  menagerie. 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  observe  the  beauty  and 
the  wildness  of  all  these  animals,  which  I  have 
brought  from  Central  Africa.  Here  they  are, 
inclosed  in  these  many  cages,  but  hidden  from 
your  view.  Why  are  they  hidden?  Because, 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  you  would  be  frightened 
at  the  sight  of  them,  and  your  peace  and  health 
greatly  concern  me.  The  first  animal  which  I 
have  the  pleasure  to  present  to  you  is  the  elephant. 
Observe,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  that  small  affair 
which  hangs  under  his  nose.  With  that  he  builds 
houses,  tills  the  soil,  writes  letters,  carries  trunks, 

23 


24  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

and  picks  flowers.  You  can  see  that  the  animal 
was  painted  from  life  and  placed  in  this  beautiful 
frame." 

The  people  began  to  look  at  one  another. 

"Now,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  let  us  go  on  to 
the  next  one." 

A  roar  of  laughter  and  jeers  arose  on  all  sides. 
The  director  saw  the  unfortunate  state  of  things 
and  began  to  shout:  "Have  respect,  ladies,  for 
the  poor  sick  monkey  I  told  you  of.  At  this 
moment  she  is  pressing  to  her  breast  for  the  last 
time  her  friendless  child." 

But  not  even  this  was  sufficient  to  calm  the 
crowd,  which  presently  became  an  infuriated  mob. 
Men  and  women  rushed  about  the  tent,  making 
fierce  gestures  and  heaping  abuse  upon  the  director. 
What  an  uproar! 

In  the  cage  where  Pinocchio  was,  there  was 
no  confusion,  and  the  conversation  between  the 
marionette  and  the  wild  beasts  went  on  without 
stopping. 

"When  do  you  leave  for  Africa?"  Pinocchio 
was  asked. 

"Have  I  not  told  you?  To-morrow  morning 
at  daybreak,  even  if  it  rains." 

"Excellent!  But  you  must  carry  with  you 
several  things  which  you  may  need." 


BIDS   GOOD-BY  TO   THE  ANIMALS         25 

"And  those  are—?" 

"First  of  all  you  will  need  plenty  of  money." 

"That  is  not  lacking,"  said  Pinocchio  in  his 
usual  airy  way. 

"Good!    Then  you  should  get  a  rifle." 

"What  for?" 

"To  defend  yourself  against  the  wild  animals." 

"Come,  come!  You  don't  want  me  to  believe 
that!  I  have  seen  what  the  wild  animals  of 
Africa  are!" 

"Be  careful,  marionette.  Take  a  good  rifle 
with  you,  for  one  never  knows  what  will  happen 
in  Africa." 

"But  I  do  not  know  how  to  load  one." 

"Well,  then,  stay  at  home.  It  is  folly  for  you 
to  begin  such  an  undertaking  without  arms  and 
without  knowing  how  to  use  them." 

"It  is  you  who  are  foolish.  Do  not  make  me 
angry.  When  I  have  decided  upon  a  thing  no 
one  can  stop  me  from  carrying  it  out." 

"Take  care,  marionette;  you  may  be  sorry." 

"Nevertheless  I  shall  go." 

"You  may  find  things  very  unpleasant." 

"It  is  for  that  very  reason  that  I  am  going." 

"You  may  never  return." 

"The  good  Fairy  will  protect  me." 

"Who  is  the  Fairy?" 


26 


PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 


"How  many  things  you  want  to  know!  If  you 
are  in  need  of  nothing  else,  I  will  bid  you  all 
good-by!" 

"Farewell,  marionette." 

"Till  we  meet  again." 

"Good-by,  blockhead." 

"Don't  be  rude!"  said  Pinocchio,  greatly  vexed, 
and  out  he  went. 


CHAPTER    VIII 
PINOCCHIO   DOES  NOT  SLEEP 

WHEN  Pinocchio  arrived  at  his  home  he  found 
his  father  already  in  bed.  Old  Geppetto  did  not 
earn  enough  to  provide  a  supper  for  two.  He 
used  to  say  that  he  was  not  hungry,  and  go  to 
bed.  But  there  was  always  plenty  for  Pinocchio. 
An  onion,  some  beans  moistened  in  water,  and  a 
piece  of  bread  which  had  been  left  over  from  the 
morning,  were  never  missing. 

That  night  Pinocchio  found  a  better  meal  than 
usual. 

His  good  father,  not  having  seen  his  son  at  the 
regular  dinner  hour,  knew  that  the  boy  would  be 
very  hungry.  There  would  have  to  be  something 
out  of  the  ordinary.  He  therefore  added  to  the 
fare  some  dried  fish  and  a  delicious  morsel  of 

27 


28 


PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 


orange  peel.  "  He  will  even  have  fruit,"  the  good 
man  had  said  to  himself,  smiling  at  the  joy  his 
dear  Pinocchip  would  feel  on  seeing  himself  treated 
like  a  man  of  the  world. 

The  marionette  ate  his  supper  with  relish,  and 
having  finished  his  meal,  went  over  to  his  sleeping 


father  and  kissed  him  as  a  reward  for  the  fish  and 
the  orange  peel.  Pinocchio,  to  say  the  least,  had 
a  good  heart,  and  would  have  done  anything  for 
his  father  except  study  and  work. 

That   night   he   slept   little.     Lions,    elephants, 
tigers,  panthers,  beautiful  women  dressed  in  silks 


PINOCCHIO    DOES    NOT    SLEEP  29 

and  mounted  on  butterflies  as  large  as  eagles, 
men,  in  large  boots,  armed  with  knives  and  guns, 
palaces  of  silver  and  gold!  All  these  and  a  great 
many  more  strange  sights  floated  before  his 
dreaming  eyes,  while  he  could  hear  animals  roar- 
ing, howling,  and  whistling  to  the  sound  of 
trumpets  and  drums. 

At  length  the  night  ended  and  Pinocchio  arose. 
First  of  all  he  went  to  bid  farewell  to  his  friends 
in  the  circus,  but  they  were  no  longer  to  be  found. 
During  the  night  the  director  had  quietly  stolen 
away  with  his  company. 

"A  pleasant  journey  to  you!"  said  Pinocchio, 
and  he  began  to  search  the  ground  for  a  forgotten 
piece  of  gold,  or  some  precious  stone  which  might 
have  fallen  from  a  lady's  diadem;  but  he  found 
nothing. 

"What  shall  I  do  now?  Shall  I  go  to  Africa 
or  to  school?  It  might  be  better  to  go  to  school, 
for  the  teacher  says  that  I  am  a  little  behind  in 
reading,  writing,  composition,  history,  geography, 
and  arithmetic.  In  other  subjects  I  am  not  so 
dull.  Yes,  yes;  it  will  certainly  do  me  more  good 
to  go  to  school.  Then  I  shall  be  a  dunce  no  longer." 

Having  made  this  sensible  decision,  the  mario- 
nette started  for  home  with  the  idea  of  studying 
his  lessons  and  of  going  to  school. 


CHAPTER    IX 
PINOCCHIO  EATS  DATES 

SOON  he  met  a  man  in  a  paper  hat  and  a  white 
apron.  He  was  pushing  a  cart  filled  with  a  kind 
of  fruit  that  Pinocchio  had  never  seen  before. 

" Dates!  dates!  fresh  dates!  sweet  dates!  real 
African  dates!"  came  the  cry. 

"Even  he  speaks  of  Africa!"  thought  Pinocchio. 
"  Africa  seems  to  follow  me.  But  what  has  Africa 
to  do  with  dates,  and  what  are  these  dates?  I 
have  never  heard  of  them."  The  man  stopped; 
Pinocchio  stopped  also.  A  lady  bought  some  of 
the  dates,  and  it  happened  that  one  of  them  fell 
to  the  ground.  The  marionette  picked  it  up  and 
handed  it  to  her. 

"Thank  you,"  she  said  with  a  smile.  "Keep  it 
yourself;  you  have  earned  it." 

30 


PINOCCHIO    EATS    DATES  31 

The  man  with  the  cart  went  on.  "Dates! 
dates!  fresh  dates!  sweet  dates!  real  African  dates!" 

Pinocchio  looked  after  him  for  a  time  and  then 
put  the  date  into  his  mouth.  Great  Caesar!  How 
delicious!  Never  before  had  he  tasted  anything 
so  sweet.  The  orange  peel  was  nothing  compared 
with  this!  What  the  circus  people  had  told  him, 
then,  was  really  true! 

"To  Africa  I  go,"  he  said,  "even  if  I  break  a 
leg.  What  do  I  care  about  the  Red  Sea,  the 
Yellow  Sea,  the  Green,  or  any  other  sea?  I  will 
go!" 

And  the  rascal,  forgetting  his  home  and  his 
father,  who  at  that  very  moment  was  waiting  to 
give  him  his  breakfast,  set  out  toward  the  sea. 

As  he  neared  the  water  he  heard  a  voice  call, 
' '  Pinocchio !  Pinocchio ! ' ' 

The  marionette  stopped  and  looked  around,  but 
seeing  no  one,  he  went  on. 

"Pinocchio!  Pinocchio!  Be  careful!  You  know 
not  what  you  do!" 

"Farewell  and  many  thanks,"  answered  the 
stubborn  marionette,  and  forthwith  stepped  into 
the  sea. 

"The  water  is  like  ice  this  morning.  No  wonder 
it  makes  me  feel  cold;  but  I  know  how  to  get  rid 
of  a  chill.  A  good  swim,  and  I  am  as  warm  as 


PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 


ever."     Out  shot  his  arms  and   he  plunged  into 
the  water.     The  journey  to  Africa  had  begun. 

At  noon  he  still  swam  on.  It  grew  dark  and 
on  he  swam.  Later  the  moon  arose  and  grinned 
at  him.  He  kept  on  swimming,  without  a  sign  of 
fatigue,  of  hunger,  or  of  sleepiness.  A  marionette 
can  do  things  that  would  tire  a  real  boy,  and  to 
Pinocchio  swimming  was  no  task  at  all. 


CHAPTER    X 
PINOCCHIO  LANDS  ON  A  ROCK 

THE  moon  grinned  again  and  disappeared  be- 
hind a  cloud.  The  night  grew  dark.  Pinocchio 
continued  to  swim  through  the  black  waters.  He 
could  see  nothing  ahead.  He  swam,  swam,  swam 
into  the  dark.  Suddenly  he  felt  something  scrape 
his  body,  and  he  gave  a  start. 

"Who  goes  there?"  he  cried.  No  one  answered. 
" Perhaps  it  is  my  old  .friend  the  shark,  who  has 
recognized  me,"  thought  he;  and  he  rapidly  swam 
on  to  get  away  from  the  spot  which  reminded  him 
of  that  terrible  monster. 

He  had  not  gone  more  than  fifty  yards  when 
his  head  ran  against  something  rough  and  hard. 
"Oh!"  cried  the  marionette,  and  he  raised  his 
hand  to  the  injured  part. 

Then,  as  he  noticed  a  large  rock  standing  out 

33 


34  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

of  the  water,  he  cried  joyously:  "I  have  arrived! 
I  am  in  Africa!" 

He  got  up  on  his  feet  and  began  to  feel  of  him- 
self all  over,  —  his  ribs,  his  stomach,  his  legs. 
Everything  was  in  order. 

"  No  thing  broken!"  he  said.  "The  rocks  on  the 
way  have  been  very  kind.  However,  I  hope  that 
day  will  break  soon,  for  I  have  no  matches,  and 
it  seems  to  me  that  I  am  very  hungry." 

Then  he  began  to  move  on  carefully.  First  he 
put  down  one  foot  and  then  the  other,  and  thus 
crept  along  till  he  found  a  comfortable  spot.  "I 
seem  to  be  very  tired  and  sleepy  also,"  he  said. 

With  that,  he  lay  down  and  went  off  into  a 
deep  slumber. 

When  he  awoke  it  was  daylight.  The  sun  shone 
red  and  hot.  There  was  nothing  to  be  seen  but 
rocks  and  water. 

"Is  this  Africa?"  said  the  marionette,  greatly 
troubled.  "Even  at  dawn  it  seems  to  be  very 
warm.  When  the  sun  gets  a  little  higher  I  am 
likely  to  be  baked."  And  he  wiped  the  sweat 
from  his  brow  on  his  coat  sleeve.  Presently  clouds 
began  to  rise  out  of  the  water.  They  grew  darker 
and  darker,  and  the  day,  instead  of  being  bright, 
gradually  became  gloomy  and  overcast. 

The  sun  disappeared. 


PINOCCHIO  LANDS  ON  A  ROCK 


35 


"This  is  funny!"  said  Pinocchio.  "What  jokes 
the  sun  plays  in  these  parts!  It  shines  for  a  while 
and  then  disappears." 

Poor  marionette!  It  did  not  occur  to  him  at 
first  that  he  had  slept  the  whole  day,  and  that 
instead  of  the  rising  he  saw  the  setting  of  the  sun. 


CHAPTER    XI 
THE  FIRST  NIGHT  IN  AFRICA 

"AND  now  I  must  pass  another  night  here  alone 
on  these  bare  rocks!"  he  thought. 

The  unhappy  marionette  began  to  tremble.  He 
tried  to  walk,  but  the  night  was  so  dark  that  it 
was  impossible  to  see  where  to  go.  The  tears 
rolled  down  his  wooden  cheeks.  He  thought  of 
his  disobedience  and  of  his  stubbornness.  He  re- 
membered the  warnings  his  father  had  given  him, 
the  advice  of  his  teacher,  and  the  kindly  words 
of  the  good  Fairy.  He  remembered  the  promises 
he  had  made  to  be  good,  obedient,  and  studious. 
How  happy  he  had  been!  He  recalled  the  day 
when  his  father's  face  beamed  with  pleasure  at 
his  progress.  He  saw  the  happy  smile  with  which 
his  protecting  Fairy  greeted  him.  His  tears  fell 
fast,  and  sobs  rent  his  heart. 

36 


THE  FIRST  NIGHT  IN  AFRICA  37 

"If  I  should  die,  here  in  this  gloomy  place! 
If  I  should  die  of  weariness,  of  hunger,  of  fear! 
To  die  a  marionette  without  having  had  the  hap- 
piness of  becoming  a  real  boy!" 

He  wept  bitterly,  and  yet  his  troubles  had 
scarcely  begun.  Even  while  his  tears  were  flowing 
down  his  cheeks  and  into  the  dark  water,  he  heard 
prolonged  howls.  At  the  same  time  he  saw  lights 
moving  to  and  fro,  as  if  driven  by  the  wind. 

"What  in  the  world  is  this?  Who  is  carrying 
those  lanterns?  "  asked  Pinocchio,  continuing  to  sob. 

As  if  in  answer  to  his  questions,  two  lights  came 
down  the  rocky  coast  and  drew  nearer  to  him. 
Along  with  the  lights  came  the  howls,  which 
sounded  like  those  he  had  heard  at  the  circus, 
only  more  natural  and  terrible. 

"I  hope  this  will  end  well,"  the  marionette  said 
to  himself,  "but  I  have  some  doubt  about  it." 

He  threw  himself  on  the  ground  and  tried  to 
hide  between  the  rocks.  A  minute  later  and  he 
felt  a  warm  breath  on  his  face.  There  stood  the 
shadowy  form  of  a  hyena,  its  open  mouth  ready 
to  devour  the  marionette  at  one  gulp. 

"I  am  done  for!"  and  Pinocchio  shut  his  eyes 
and  gave  a  last  thought  to  his  dear  father  and 
his  beloved  Fatina.  But  the  beast,  after  sniffing 
at  him  once  or  twice  from  head  to  foot,  burst 


38  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

into  a  loud,  howling  laugh  and  walked  away.     He 
had  no  appetite  for  wooden  boys. 

"May  you  never  return! "  said  Pinocchio,  raising 
his  head  a  little  and  straining  his  eyes  to  pierce 
the  darkness  about  him.  "Oh,  if  there  were  only 
a  tree,  or  a  wall,  or  anything  to  climb  up  on!" 


The  marionette  was  right  in  wishing  for  some- 
thing to  keep  him  far  above  the  ground.  During 
the  whole  night  these  visitors  were  coming  and 
going.  They  came  around  him  howling,  sniffing, 
laughing,  mocking.  As  each  one  ran  off,  Pinocchio 
would  say,  "May  you  never  return!"  He  lay 
there  shivering  in  the  agony  of  his  terror.  If  the 
night  had  continued  much  longer,  the  poor  fellow 
would  have  died  of  fright.  But  the  dawn  came  at 
last.  All  these  strange  night  visitors  disappeared. 
Pinocchio  tried  to  get  up.  He  could  not  move. 
His  legs  and  arms  were  stiff.  A  terrible  weak- 
ness had  seized  him,  and  the  world  swam  around 
him.  Hunger  overpowered  him.  The  poor  mario- 


THE  FIRST  NIGHT  IN  AFRICA  39 

nette  felt  that  he  should  surely  die.  "How  ter- 
rible," he  thought,  "to  die  of  hunger!  What 
would  I  not  eat!  Dry  beans  and  cherry  stems 
would  be  delicious."  He  looked  eagerly  around, 
but  there  was  not  even  a  cricket  or  a  snail  in 
sight.  There  was  nothing,  nothing  but  rocks! 

Suddenly,  however,  a  faint  cry  came  from  his 
parched  throat.  Was  it  possible?  A  few  feet 
from  him  there  was  something  between  the  rocks 
which  looked  like  food.  The  marionette  did  not 
know  what  it  was.  He  dragged  himself  along  on 
hands  and  knees,  and  commenced  to  eat  it.  His 
nose  wished  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  it,  and 
would  even  have  drawn  back,  but  the  marionette 
said:  "It  is  necessary  to  accustom  yourself  to 
all  things,  my  friend.  One  must  have  patience. 
Don't  be  afraid;  if  I  find  any  roses,  I  promise 
to  gather  them  for  you." 

The  nose  became  quiet,  the  mouth  ate,  the  hun- 
ger was  satisfied,  and  when  the  meal  was  finished 
Pinocchio  jumped  to  his  feet  and  shouted  joyously: 
"I  have  had  my  first  meal  in  Africa.  Now  I  must 
begin  my  search  for  wealth."  He  forgot  the  night, 
his  father,  and  Fatina.  His  only  thought  was  to 
get  farther  away  from  home. 

What  an  easy  thing  life  is  to  a  wooden  mario- 
nette! 


CHAPTER    XII 
PINOCCHIO  IS  WELL  RECEIVED 

"FIRST  of  all,"  he  said,  " I  must  go  to  the  nearest 
castle  I  can  find.  The  master  will  not  refuse  me 
shelter  and  food.  Some  soup,  a  leg  of  roast 
chicken,  and  a  glass  of  milk  will  put  me  in  fine 
spirits." 

The  journey  across  the  rocks  was  full  of  diffi- 
culties, but  the  marionette  overcame  them  readily, 
leaping  from  rock  to  rock  like  a  goat.  He  walked, 
walked,  walked!  The  rocks  seemed  to  have  no 
ending,  and  the  castle,  which  he  imagined  he  saw 
in  the  distance,  appeared  to  be  always  farther  and 
farther  away.  As  the  marionette  drew  nearer, 
the  towers  began  to  disappear  and  the  walls  to 
crumble.  He  walked  on  broken-hearted.  Finally 
he  sat  down  in  despair  and  put  his  head  in  his 
hands.  " Farewell,  castle!  good-by,  roast  chicken 

40 


PINOCCHIO  IS  WELL  RECEIVED  41 

and  soup!"  He  was  about  to  weep  again  when 
he  saw  in  the  distance  a  village  of  great  beauty 
lying  at  the  foot  of  a  gentle  slope. 

At  the  sight  he  gave  a  cry  of  joy  and  without 
a  moment's  delay  set  out  in  that  direction.  He 
leaped  over  the  rocks  and  bushes,  putting  to 
flight  several  flocks  of  birds  in  his  haste.  Of 
course  only  a  marionette  could  go  as  fast  as  he 
did.  "How  beautiful  Africa  is!"  said  he.  "If  I 
had  known  this  I  would  have  come  here  long  ago." 

In  a  short  time  he  reached  the  main  square  of 
the  town.  Men,  women,  and  children  were  loung- 
ing about,  gossiping,  buying,  and  selling.  When 
they  saw  the  marionette  they  gathered  around 
him,  and  many  began  to  shout:  "It  is  Pinocchio! 
Look,  here  is  Pinocchio!  Pinocchio!  Pinocchio!" 

"Well,  this  is  strange!"  said  the  marionette  to 
himself.  "I  am  known  even  in  Africa.  Surely  I 
am  a  great  person." 

Like  most  great  men,  Pinocchio  was  annoyed  at 
his  noisy  reception.  In  some  anger  he  made  his 
way  through  the  crowd,  pushing  people  right  and 
left  with  his  elbows.  He  ran  down  a  side  street 
and  finally  stopped  before  a  restaurant,  over 
which  was  the  sign  printed  in  huge  letters: 

MARIONETTES    SERVED    HERE. 


PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 


"This  is  what  I  have  been    looking  for,"  said 
Pinocchio,  and  he  went  in. 


CHAPTER    XIII 
PINOCCHIO  IS  ARRESTED 

PINOCCHIO  found  himself  facing  a  man  of  about 
fifty  years  of  age.  He  was  stout  and  good-natured, 
and  like  all  good  hosts,  asked  what  the  gentleman 
would  have  to  eat.  Pinocchio,  hearing  himself 
called  " gentleman,"  swelled  with  pride,  and  very 
gravely  gave  his  order.  He  was  served  promptly, 
and  devoured  everything  before  him  in  a  way 
known  only  to  hungry  marionettes. 

In  the  meantime  the  innkeeper  eyed  his  cus- 
tomer from  head  to  foot.  He  addressed  Pinocchio 
in  a  very  respectful  manner,  but  the  marionette 
gave  only  short  answers.  Persons  of  rank  ate 
here,  and  to  appear  like  one  of  them  he  could 
not  allow  himself  to  waste  words  on  common 
folk. 

Having  finished  his  meal,  the  marionette  asked 
for  something  to  drink. 

"What  is  this  drink  called?"  he  asked,  as  he 
put  down  the  glass  and  thrust  his  thumb  into  his 
vest  pocket  after  the  manner  of  a  gentleman. 

"Nectar,  your  excellency." 

43 


44  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

Upon  hearing  himself  called  " excellency"  Pinoc- 
chio  fairly  lost  his  head.  He  felt  a  strange  light- 
ness in  his  feet;  indeed,  he  found  it  hard  work  to 
resist  the  temptation  to  get  up  and  dance.  "I 
knew  that  in  Africa  I  should  make  my  fortune," 
he  thought,  and  called  for  a  box  of  cigarettes. 

Having  smoked  one  of  these,  the  brave  Pinoc- 
chio  arose  to  go  out,  when  his  host  handed  him  a 
sheet  of  paper  on  which  was  written  a  row  of 
figures. 

"What  is  this?"  asked  the  marionette. 

"The  bill,  your  excellency;  the  amount  of  your 
debt  for  the  dinner." 

Pinocchio  stroked  his  wooden  chin  and  looked 
at  the  innkeeper  in  surprise. 

"Is  there  anything  astonishing  about  that,  your 
excellency?  Is  it  not  usual  in  your  country  to 
pay  for  what  you  eat?" 

"It  is  amazing!  I  do  not  know  what  you  mean! 
What  strange  custom  is  this  that  you  speak  of?" 

"In  these  parts,  your  excellency,"  remarked 
the  innkeeper,  "when  one  eats,  one  must  pay. 
However,  if  your  lordship  has  no  money,  and 
intends  to  live  at  the  expense  of  others,  I  have  a 
very  good  remedy.  One  minute!" 

So  saying,  the  man  stepped  out  of  the  door, 
uttered  a  curious  sound,  and  then  returned. 


PINOCCHIO  IS  ARRESTED  45 

Pinocchio  lost  his  courage.  He  broke  down  and 
began  to  weep.  He  begged  the  man  to  have 
patience.  The  first  piece  of  gold  he  found  would 
pay  for  the  meal.  The  innkeeper  smiled  as  he 
said,  "I  am  sorry,  but  the  thing  is  done." 

"What  is  done?"  asked  the  marionette. 

"I  have  sent  for  the  police." 

"The  police!"  cried  the  marionette,  shaking 
with  fear.  "The  police!  Even  in  Africa  there  are 
policemen?  Please,  sir,  send  them  back!  I  do 
not  want  to  go  to  prison." 


All  this  was  useless  talk.  Two  black  police- 
men were  already  there.  Straight  toward  the 
marionette  they  went  and  asked  his  name. 

"Pinocchio,"  he  answered  in  a  faint  voice. 

"What  is  your  business?" 

"I  am  a  marionette." 


46  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

"Why  have  you  come  to  Africa?" 

"I  will  tell  you,"  replied  Pinocchio.  "You 
gentlemen  must  know  that  my  poor  father  sold 
his  coat  to  buy  me  a  spelling  book,  and  as  I  have 
heard  that  there  is  plenty  of  gold  and  silver  in 
Africa,  I  have  come  here." 

"What  kind  of  talk  is  this?"  asked  the  elder 
of  the  two  policemen.  "No  nonsense!  Show  us 
your  papers." 

"What  papers?     I  left  all  I  had  at  school." 

The  policemen  cut  short  the  marionette's  words 
by  taking  out  their  handcuffs  and  preparing  to 
lead  him  away  to  prison.  But  the  innkeeper 
was  a  good-hearted  man,  and  he  was  sorry  for  the 
poor  blockhead.  He  begged  them  to  leave  Pinoc- 
chio in  his  charge. 

"So  long  as  you  are  satisfied,  we  are  satisfied," 
said  the  policemen.  "If  you  wish  to  give  away 
your  food,  that  is  your  own  affair;"  and  they  went 
off  without  saying  another  word. 


CHAPTER    XIV 
PINOCCHIO'S   FATHER 

PINOCCHIO  blushed  with  shame. 

"Then  you  are   the  marionette   Pinocchio?" 

Upon  hearing  himself  addressed  in  this  familiar 
way,  Pinocchio  felt  a  little  annoyed,  but  recalling 
the  unsettled  account,  he  thought  it  best  to  answer 
politely  that  he  was  Pinocchio. 

"I  am  pleased,"  continued  the  man;  "I  am  very 
much  pleased,  because  I  knew  your  father." 

"You  knew  my  father?"  exclaimed  the  mario- 
nette. 

"Certainly  I  knew  him!  I  was  a  servant  in  his 
house  before  you  were  born." 

"In  my  house  as  a  servant?  When  has  father 
Geppetto  had  servants?"  asked  the  marionette, 
his  eyes  wide  with  surprise. 

47 


48  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

"But  who  said  Geppetto?  Geppetto  is  not 
your  father's  name." 

"Oh,  indeed!     Well,  then,  what  is  his  name?" 

"Your  father's  name  is  not  Geppetto,  but 
Collodi.  A  wonderful  man,  my  boy." 

Pinocchio  understood  less  and  less.  It  was 
strange,  he  thought,  to  have  come  to  Africa  to 
learn  the  story  of  his  family.  He  listened  with 
astonishment  to  all  that  the  innkeeper  said. 

"Remember,  however,  that  even  if  you  are  not 
really  the  son  of  the  good  Geppetto,  it  does  not 
follow  that  you  should  forget  the  care  he  has  given 
you.  What  gratitude  have  you  shown  him? 
You  ran  away  from  home  without  even  telling 
him.  Who  knows  how  unhappy  the  poor  old  man 
may  be!  You  never  will  understand  what  suffer- 
ing you  cause  your  parents.  Such  blockheads  as 
you  are  not  fit  to  have  parents.  They  work  from 
morning  till  night  so  that  you  may  want  for 
nothing,  and  may  grow  up  to  be  good  and  wise 
men,  useful  to  yourselves,  to  your  family,  and  to 
your  country.  What  do  you  do?  Nothing!  You 
are  worthless!" 

Pinocchio  listened  very  thoughtfully.  He  had 
never  expected  that  in  Africa  he  was  to  hear  so 
many  disagreeable  truths,  and  he  was  on  the  verge 
of  weeping. 


PINOCCHJO'S   FATHER  49 

"For  your  father's  sake  you  have  been  let  off 
easily.  From  now  on  you  may  regard  this  as 
your  home.  I  am  not  very  rich,  and  I  need  a  boy 
to  help  me.  You  will  do.  You  may  as  well 
begin  to  work  at  once."  And  he  handed  the 
marionette  a  large  broom. 

Pinocchio  was  vexed  at  this,  but  the  thought 
of  the  black  policemen  and  the  unsettled  bill 
cooled  his  anger,  and  he  swept  as  well  as  he  knew 


how.  "From  a  gentleman  to  a  sweeper!  What 
fine  progress  I  have  made!"  he  thought,  as  the 
tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks. 

"If  my  father  were  to  see  me  now,  or  my  good 
Fairy,  or  my  companions  at  school!  What  a  fine 
picture  I  should  make!"  And  he  continued  to 
sweep  and  dust. 


CHAPTER    XV 
PINOCCHIO  SELLS   DRINKING  WATER 

THE  time  passed  quickly.  At  the  dinner  hour 
Pinocchio  had  a  great  appetite  and  ate  with  much 
enjoyment.  The  master  praised  him  highly  for 
the  tidy  appearance  of  the  store  and  urged  him 
to  keep  up  his  good  work. 

"At  the  end  of  twenty  years,"  he  said,  "you 
will  have  put  aside  enough  to  return  home,  and  a 
little  extra  money  to  spend  on  poor  old  Geppetto. 
Now  that  you  have  eaten,  take  this  leather  bag 
and  fill  it  with  water,  which  you  are  to  sell  about 
the  city.  When  you  return  we  shall  know  how 
much  you  have  made." 

The  bag  was  soon  strapped  on  his  shoulders 
and  the  marionette  was  shown  the  door.  "Re- 
member/' said  his  master,  "a  cent  a  glass!" 

5° 


PINOCCHIO  SELLS  DRINKING  WATER       51 

Pinocchio  set  out  down  the  narrow  street.  He 
walked  on,  little  caring  where  he  went.  His 
wooden  brains  were  far  away.  He  was  grieved. 
Had  the  master  known  just  how  the  marionette 
felt  he  would  have  run  after  him  and  at  least 
regained  his  leather  bag. 

Pinocchio  walked  on.  He  was  soon  among  a 
hurrying  crowd  of  people.  "Can  this  be  Egypt 
in  Africa?  I  have  read  about  it  often." 

A  man,  wrapped  in  a  white  cloak,  touched  him 
on  the  shoulder.  Pinocchio  did  not  understand, 
and  started  to  go  on  about  his  business,  but  the 
man  took  him  roughly  by  the  nose.  Pinocchio 
shrieked.  The  crowd  stopped.  At  last  he  dis- 
covered that  the  man  wanted  water.  Pinocchio 
placed  the  bag  on  the  ground.  Then  he  poured 
the  water  into  a  glass.  The  man  drank,  paid, 
and  went  his  way. 

"What  a  thirst  for  water  Africans  have!" 
thought  the  marionette,  as  he  remembered  his 
companions  of  the  circus.  "I  like  ices  better, 
and  I  am  going  to  try  to  get  one  with  this  penny." 
At  once  he  started  off,  leaving  the  leather  bag 
behind. 


CHAPTER    XVI 
A  RIDE  ON  A  DOG'S  BACK 

A  CROWD  of  boys  had  by  this  time  gathered  in 
the  street.  They  began,  after  the  manner  of  boys  in 
nearly  every  part  of  the  world,  to  annoy  one  who 
was  clearly  a  stranger.  They  did  not  know  Pinoc- 
chio,  however,  nor  the  force  of  his  feet  and  elbows. 
There  came  a  shower  of  kicks  and  punches,  and 
the  boys  scattered.  Away  flew  Pinocchio.  The 
people  were  astonished  to  see  those  tiny  legs 
fly  like  the  wind.  They  shouted  and  ran  after 
him.  Pinocchio  resolved  not  to  be  caught.  He 
turned  into  a  side  street  that  led  into  the  open 
country.  A  large  dog,  stretched  out  upon  the 
ground,  was  in  his  way.  Pinocchio  measured  the 
distance  and  leaped. 

At  that  very  moment  the  dog  sprang  up,  and 
hardly  knowing  how  it  happened,  Pinocchio  found 
himself  astride  his  back.  Barking  furiously,  the 
animal  shot  along  like  a  cannon  ball.  The  poor 
boy  felt  sure  that  he  was  going  to  break  his  neck 

52 


A  RIDE  ON  A  DOG'S   BACK  53 

and  prayed  for  safety.  On  they  rushed.  The 
dog  jumped  over  rocks  and  ditches  as  if  he  had 
done  nothing  in  all  his  life  but  carry  marionettes 
on  his  back. 

"Is  it  possible  that  he  is  a  horse-dog?"  thought 
Pinocchio.  "If  he  is,  I  shall  ride  him  always,  and 
when  I  return  home  I  shall  present  him  to  my 
father.  My  companions  will  die  of  envy  when 
they  see  me  riding  to  school  like  a  gentleman.  I 
shall  make  him  a  saddle  like  those  I  saw  on  the 
circus  horses,  and  a  pair  of  silver  stirrups.  A 
saddle  is  really  necessary,  because  it  is  very  uncom- 
fortable to  ride  in  this  way." 

They  came  to  a  deep  gully  and  the  dog  prepared 
to  make  the  leap.  Pinocchio  •  muttered  to  him- 
self: "This  is  the  end.  If  I  cross  this  in  safety,  I 
will  surely  return  home  and  go  to  school." 

There  was  a  leap,  and  a  plunge  into  the  black, 
empty  air.  When  he  opened  his  eyes  he  found 
himself  lying  at  the  bottom  of  a  precipice  in  total 
darkness.  How  long  had  he  been  in  the  air?  The 
marionette  did  not  know.  He  remembered  only 
that  while  flying  down  he  had  heard  a  familiar 
voice  call,  "Pinocchio!  Pinocchio!  Pinocchio!" 

"Farewell  to  the  world  and  to  Africa,"  said  the 
marionette .  l '  Wooden  marionettes  will  never  learn. 
Here  I  shall  stay  forever.  It  serves  me  right." 


CHAPTER   XVII 
THE   CAVE 

"!F  I  get  out  of  this  prison  alive,  it  will  be  the 
greatest  wonder  I  have  ever  known."  Pinocchio 
sat  in  the  spot  where  he  had  fallen.  He  now  began 
to  suffer  from  thirst.  There  had  been  a  great 
deal  of  excitement,  and  his  throat  was  parched. 
He  would  have  given  anything  for  a  sip  of  the 
water  he  had  so  carelessly  left  in  the  middle  of 
the  street  only  a  little  while  before. 

"I  don't  want  to  die  here,"  he  said.  "I  must 
get  up  and  walk." 

So  saying,  he  moved  slowly  about,  groping 
with  his  hands  and  feet  as  if  he  were  playing 

54 


THE   CAVE  55 


blindman's  buff.  The  ground  was  soft,  and  the 
air  seemed  fresh.  In  fact,  it  was  not  so  bad  as 
he  had  at  first  thought.  Only  four  things  worried 
him,  —  darkness,  hunger,  thirst,  and  fear.  Aside 
from  these  he  was  safe  and  sound. 

He  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  through  the 
darkness  when  suddenly  he  thought  he  heard  a 
faint  murmur.  He  saw  a  gleam  of  light.  The 
blood  rushed  through  his  veins.  He  walked  on. 
The  sound  became  clearer,  and  the  light  grew 
brighter.  At  length  Pinocchio  found  himself  in  a 
cave  lighted  by  soft  rays.  The  murmuring  sound 
was  caused  by  a  small  stream  of  water  coming 
out  from  a  high  rock  and  forming  a  little  water- 
fall. Pinocchio  rushed  toward  the  rocks,  opened 
his  mouth  wide  like  a  funnel,  and  drank  his  fill. 

"I  shall  not  die  of  thirst,"  said  the  marionette. 
''Unfortunately,  I  am  still  hungry.  What  a  fate 
is  mine!  Why  can  we  not  live  without  eating? 
Some  day  I  am  going  to  find  a  way.  If  I  succeed, 
I  shall  teach  the  poor  people  to  live  without  food 
as  I  do.  How  happy  they  will  be!"  Meanwhile 
he  looked  about  for  a  means  of  escape.  Soon  he 
discovered  the  hole  that  lighted  the  cave,  and 
walked  out  once  more  under  the  open  sky. 


CHAPTER    XVIII 
THE  CARAVAN 

HE  saw  nothing  but  rocks  and  sand;  rocks  that 
shone  like  mirrors,  and  sand  that  burned  like  fire. 
He  walked  on  very  sadly,  without  knowing  where. 
Presently  he  found  himself  upon  a  hill,  from  which 
he  could  see  a  vast  plain  crossed  by  a  wide  high- 
way.. A  long  line  of  people  and  camels  were  on 
the  march,  but  how  strange  they  looked!  They 
were  going  along  with  heads  down  and  feet  up. 
At  first  the  marionette  was  filled  with  a  strong 
desire  to  laugh;  then  he  became  frightened  and 
rubbed  his  eyes,  doubting  what  they  told  him. 

56 


THE   CARAVAN  57 


"Am  I  dreaming?"  he  said  to  himself. 

The  line  continued  its  march,  and  he  distinctly 
heard  the  people  laugh  and  joke  as  they  all  sat 
upside  down  on  the  backs  of  the  inverted  camels. 

"I  was  not  prepared  for  this!  What  a  strange 
way  of  traveling  they  have  in  Africa!  Maybe 
I  too  am  walking  on  my  head!"  and  he  touched 
himself  to  make  sure  that  his  head  was  in  its  proper 
place. 

Meanwhile  the  caravan  passed  on,  and  Pinoc- 
chio  stood  still,  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  camels 
as  they  disappeared  at  the  turning  of  the  road. 
The  only  thing  left  for  him  to  do  was  to  follow 
them. 

"Either  on  my  head  or  on  my  feet  I  shall  surely 
arrive  somewhere !  I  do  not  believe  that  all  those 
people  will  walk  on  air  forever.  Sometime  or 
other  they  will  stop  to  eat.  I  shall  be  there  to 
help  them." 

As  he  spoke  the  marionette  started  forward, 
walking  rapidly  in  the  hot  sun. 


CHAPTER   XIX 
THE  BABY  PULLS  HIS   NOSE 

IN  half  an  hour  he  had  caught  up  with  the  topsy- 
turvy caravan.  It  had  stopped  at  a  large  well, 
which  was  filled  with  clear,  cool  water.  The 
people  were  laughing  and  talking  as  if  they  were 
at  home.  They  were  all  as  happy  as  they  could  be. 

Pinocchio  could  not  understand  it.  Had  these 
people  really  stood  on  their  heads?  What  had 
happened  to  them?  There  was  something  wrong. 
He  had  certainly  seen  them  traveling  in  that 
strange  fashion.  However,  a  marionette  who  is 
hungry  and  thirsty  does  not  worry  long  about 
things  he  cannot  explain.  He  was  there,  and  the 
people  were  eating  and  drinking. 

"What  a  fool  I  am!  If  their  heads  were  upside 
down,  they  could  neither  eat  nor  drink.  Surely 
they  will  not  refuse  me  a  little  water,  and  perhaps, 

58 


THE  BABY  PULLS  HIS  NOSE  59 

as  they  are  familiar  with  Africa,  I  may  discover 
in  talking  with  them  where  the  mines  of  gold 
and  precious  stones  are  to  be  found." 

So  saying,  Pinocchio  moved  toward  an  old  man, 
who  was  sitting  with  a  pipe  in  his  mouth.  He  had 
finished  his  meal  and  was  enjoying  a  smoke.  The 
marionette  took  off  his  hat  and  said,  "  Pardon  me, 
sir;  what  time  is  it?" 

The  old  man's  answer  came  in  a  volume  of  smoke. 

"Ask  the  sun,  my  boy.     He  will  tell  you." 

"Thank  you!"  said  Pinocchio,  a  little  taken 
aback  by  this  reception,  and  he  moved  on  toward 
a  woman  with  a  baby  on  her  shoulders. 

"Madam,  will  you  please  tell  me  if  I  am  on  the 
right  road  to  — 

"The  world  is  wide,"  broke  in  the  woman. 

"And  long  too,"  thought  the  marionette.  " How 
polite  these  Africans  are!" 

Of  course,  the  marionette  was  a  stupid  fellow. 
He  was  a  little  ashamed  to  beg  for  food,  and  had 
only  asked  these  questions  so  that  the  people 
might  notice  him  and  perhaps  offer  him  food  and 
water.  An  ordinary  boy  would  have  asked  for 
what  he  wanted,  but  this  blockhead  was  too  proud. 

He  was  about  to  go  on  when  the  baby  began 
to  wave  its  arms,  and  to  shout,  "I  want  it!  I 
want  it!" 


60  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

Can  you  guess  what  it  wanted?  Pinocchio's 
nose!  The  child  reached  out  its  hands,  and  cried 
and  kicked  in  trying  to  get  hold  of  it. 

The  whole  caravan  looked  toward  the  spot.  A 
group  of  children  gathered  about  them.  Even  the 
camels  lifted  their  heads  to  see  what  was  the  matter. 


The  mother  was  distressed  because  the  child's 
screams  and  kicks  continued.  She  asked  Pinocchio 
to  let  it  touch  his  nose.  His  pride  was  hurt,  but 
thinking  it  best  to  humor  the  child,  he  went  closer 
and  allowed  his  nose  to  be  touched  and  squeezed 
and  pulled  until  the  baby  was  perfectly  happy  and 
satisfied.  The  good  woman  laughed,  and  thanked 
Pinocchio  by  offering  him  some  bread  and  milk. 

Pinocchio  buried  his  face  in  the  milk  and  ate 
the  bread.     There  was  no  doubt  of  his  hunger. 


THE  BABY  PULLS  HIS  NOSE  61 

The  others  offered  him  fruit  and  cake.  He  was 
pleased.  Africa,  after  all,  was  a  country  where 
one  could  live.  His  hunger  satisfied,  he  did  what 
marionettes  usually  do,  —  talked  about  himself. 
In  a  short  time  all  the  people  knew  who  he  was, 
and  why  he  had  come  to  Africa.  The  old  man 
with  the  pipe  asked  him,  "Who  told  you  that  here 
in  Africa  there  is  so  much  gold?" 

"Who  told  me?     He  who  knows  told  me!" 

"But  are  you  sure  that  he  did  not  wish  to 
deceive  you?" 

"Deceive  we?"  replied  the  marionette.  "My 
dear  sir,  to  deceive  me  one  must  have  a  good  — 
and  he  touched  his  forehead  with  his  forefinger 
as  much  as  to  say  that  within  lay  a  great  brain. 
"Before  leaving  home  I  studied  so  much  that 
the  teacher  feared  I  should  ruin  my  health." 

"Very  well,"  replied  the  old  man,  "let  us 
travel  together,  for  we  also  are  in  search  of  gold 
and  precious  stones." 

Pinocchio's  heart  beat  fast  with  hope.  At  last 
there  was  some  one  to  help  him  in  his  search. 
He  could  scarcely  control  himself  enough  to  say: 
"Willingly,  most  willingly!  I  have  no  objections. 
Suit  yourselves." 


CHAPTER    XX 
PINOCCHIO  TRAVELS  WITH  THE   CARAVAN 

THE  camels,  refreshed  by  the  large  amount  of 
water  they  had  taken,  stood  up,  proud  of  their 
loads.  Even  the  donkey  brayed.  Yes,  there  was 
a  donkey!  And  this  fact  displeased  Pinocchio. 
He  had  for  a  long  time  felt  a  great  dislike  for  these 
animals.  In  fact,  he  had  once  been  a  donkey,  and 
his  dislike  was  a  natural  one. 

The  donkey  did  not  carry  any  load,  and  for 
that  reason  the  marionette  was  asked  to  ride  on 
its  back.  He  hesitated.  It  was  stupid  to  ride 
a  donkey,  and  he  would  have  preferred  to  walk, 
but  he  did  not  like  to  seem  rude  to  the  good 
people,  and  up  he  mounted. 

They  traveled  all  day  along  the  narrow  road 
which  gradually  wound  around  the  slope  of  a 

62 


TRAVELS  WITH  THE  CARAVAN     63 

mountain.  The  old  man  rode  by  the  side  of 
Pinocchio,  asking  him  many  questions  about  the 
studies  he  had  taken  up  to  prepare  himself  for 
this  trip  to  Africa. 

The  marionette  talked  a  great  deal,  and  as 
might  have  been  expected,  made  many  blunders. 
He  began  to  think  that  his  companions  were  very 
simple,  and  that  in  Africa  one  could  tell  any  kind 
of  lie  without  being  discovered.  He  even  went 
so  far  as  to  assure  the  old  man  that  he  knew  the 
very  spot  where  they  could  find  gold  and  diamonds, 
and  ended  by  saying  that  within  a  week  they 
should  all  be  men  of  great  wealth. 

"You  must  walk  straight  ahead,"  the  saucy 
marionette  was  saying,  "then  to  the  right,  and  you 
will  arrive  at  the  bottom  of  a  valley,  through 
which  flows  a  beautiful  brook  of  yellow  water. 
By  the  side  of  this  brook  is  a  tree,  and  beneath 
the  tree  there  is  gold  in  plenty." 

The  old  man  was  amazed  to  hear  the  tales  he 
told.  Pinocchio  himself  felt  ashamed  of  all  these 
lies.  He  was  afraid  his  nose  would  grow  as  it  had 
done  one  day  at  home.  But  no,  it  was  still  its 
natural  size! 

"Well!"  he  thought,  "if  it  has  not  grown 
longer  this  time,  it  will  never  grow  again,  no 
matter  how  many  lies  I  tell." 


CHAPTER    XXI 
HE  IS  OFFERED   FOR   SALE 

THEY  went  on  until  they  met  a  second  caravan 
resting  at  a  well.  Every  one  admired  Pinocchio, 
and  the  old  man  who  had  him  in  charge  treated 
him  as  if  he  were  his  own  son. 

Pinocchio  was  greatly  pleased.  Yet  to  tell  the 
truth  he  was  worried.  Suppose  they  discovered 
that  he  had  lied,  and  that  he  knew  nothing  about 
Africa,  or  the  gold,  or  the  diamonds!  What  would 
happen  then? 

The  old  man  was  talking  to  three  or  four  men 
of  the  new  caravan.  Pinocchio  did  not  like  their 
faces.  Now  and  then  they  looked  toward  the 
marionette  with  open  eyes  of  astonishment. 

64 


HE  IS  OFFERED   FOR  SALE  65 

Pinocchio  pricked  up  his  ears  to  listen  to  the 
good  things  the  old  man  was  saying  about  him. 
He  felt  highly  flattered  on  hearing  himself  praised 
for  his  character,  his  intelligence,  and  his  ability 
to  eat  and  drink. 

Then  the  men  lowered  their  voices,  and  the  mario- 
nette only  now  and  then  caught  some  stray  words. 

"How  much  do  you  want?" 

"Come!"  replied  the  good  old  man,  "between 
us  there  should  not  be  so  much  talk.  I  cannot 
give  him  to  you  unless  you  give  me  twenty  yards 
of  English  calico,  thirty  yards  of  iron  wire,  and 
four  strings  of  glass  beads." 

"It  is  too  much.     It  is  too  much,"  replied  one. 

"They  are  bargaining  for  the  donkey,"  said 
Pinocchio,  and  he  felt  sorry  for  the  poor  beast. 

"I  am  sorry  for  you,"  he  went  on,  addressing 
the  donkey,  "because  you  have  made  me  quite 
comfortable.  Now  I  must  give  you  up  and  walk." 

"It  is  too  much.  It  is  too  much,"  the  men 
were  saying. 

"Yes,  yes,  all  you  say  is  very  true,"  spoke  one  in 
a  high  voice,  "-but,  after  all,  he  is  made  of  wood." 

"Of  wood?  Who  is  made  of  wood?  The  don- 
key?" thought  Pinocchio,  looking  at  the  animal, 
which  stood  still,  its  ears  erect  as  if  it  also  were 
listening. 


66  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

"Here!"  put  in  one  of  the  men,  "the  bargain 
is  made  if  you  will  give  him  up  for  an  elephant's 
tooth;  if  not,  let  us  talk  no  more  of  it." 

The  old  man  was  silent.  He  looked  at  the 
marionette,  and  then  with  a  sigh  which  came  from 
his  heart  he  said:  "You  drive  a  hard  bargain! 
Add  at  least  the  horn  of  a  rhinoceros  and  let  us 
be  done  with  it." 

"Put  in  the  horn!"  replied  the  man,  and  they 
shook  hands. 

"You  have  done  well,  my  friends,"  the  old  man 
said.  "That  fellow  there,"  —  and  this  time  he 
pointed  directly  at  Pinocchio,  —  "that  fellow  there 
has  some  great  ideas  in  his  head.  He  knows  a 
thing  or  two!  He  says  he  knows  the  exact  spot 
where  one  may  find  gold  and  diamonds." 

Pinocchio  was  thunderstruck!  It  was  he  and 
not  the  donkey  that  had  been  sold. 

"Dogs!"  he  cried,  "farewell.  I  go  from  you  for- 
ever." And  away  he  leaped  as  fast  as  the  north 
wind.  They  did  not  even  try  to  follow  him. 
Who  could  have  caught  him? 


CHAPTER    XXII 

THE  BIRD   IN  THE  FOREST 

AFTER  two  hours  of  hard  running,  Pinocchio, 
still  angry  at  the  treatment  he  had  received, 
came  to  a  forest.  "It's  better  to  be  a  bird  in  the 
bushes  than  a  bird  in  a  cage!"  he  thought. 

Although  the  walk  in  the  forest  was  refreshing, 
he  began,  as  usual,  to  be  hungry.  The  place  was 
very  beautiful,  but  beauty  could  not  satisfy  a  mari- 
onette's appetite.  He  looked  here  and  there  in 
the  hope  that  he  might  see  trees  loaded  with  the 
fruit  about  which  the  elephant  man  had  spoken. 
He  saw  nothing  but  branches  and  leaves,  leaves 
and  branches.  On  he  walked.  Both  the  forest 
and  his  hunger  seemed  without  end. 

Fortunately  Pinocchio  was  very  strong.  Being 
made  of  wood,  he  could  endure  a  great  many 
hardships.  He  was  sure  that  his  good  Fairy 

67 


68  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

would  come  to  help  him,  so  he  kept  on  bravely. 
He  had  walked  a  long  way  before  he  saw  a  large 
tree,  bearing  fruit  that  resembled  oranges. 

"At  last!"  he  cried  aloud.  The  birds  flew 
away  at  the  sound.  Pinocchio  climbed  over  the 
rocks  and  up  the  tree  as  fast  as  he  could. 

"I  will  eat  enough  to  last  for  a  week!"  he  said, 
as  he  thought  of  the  orange  peel  his  father  Geppetto 
had  given  him  for  supper. 

He  picked  the  largest  of  the  fruit  and  put  it 
into  his  mouth.  It  was  as  hard  as  ivory.  He 
pulled  out  his  penknife,  with  which  he  used  to 
sharpen  his  pencil  at  school.  With  great  difficulty 
he  cut  the  fruit  in  two,  to  find  within  only  a  soft, 
bitter  pulp.  Then  he  tried  another  and  another. 
All  were  like  the  first  one,  and  he  gave  up  trying 
because  he  was  at  length  convinced  that  none  of 
the  fruit  was  fit  to  eat. 

Tired  and  unhappy,  with  bowed  head  and 
dangling  arms,  he  pushed  on  slowly,  stumbling 
over  rocks,  and  becoming  entangled  again  and 
again  in  the  briers.  He  thought  sadly  of  the  dis- 
appointments he  had  met  with  in  Africa. 

"It  is  settled.  I  am  to  die  of  hunger.  Where 
are  the  delicious  fruits  and  the  precious  stones? 
Should  I  not  do  better  to  go  home  and  leave  the 
gold  and  silver  to  those  who  want  them?" 


THE  BIRD  IN  THE  FOREST 


69 


As  he  went  along,  thinking  over  these  things,  he 
noticed  ahead  of  him  a  bird  about  the  size  of  a 
canary,  which  looked  at  him  as  if  it  longed  to 
console  him  in  his  misery. 

It  went  on  before  Pinocchio,  flying  from  one 
branch  to  another,  stopping  when  the  marionette 
stopped,  and  moving  every  time  the  marionette 
moved.  Pinocchio  said  to  himself:  "Does  this 


dear  little  bird  wish  to  be  eaten?  I'll  pluck  its 
feathers,  stick  a  twig  through  it,  put  it  in  the 
sun,  and  in  half  an  hour  it  will  be  cooked  and 
ready  to  eat." 


70  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

While  the  hungry  marionette  was  giving  himself 
up  to  this  thought,  the  bird  began  to  sing, 

"  Pinocchio,  my  dear, 

If  you  would  honey  eat, 
Come  closer  to  me  here, 
And  you  will  find  a  treat." 

Imagine  Pinocchio 's  surprise!  He  approached 
the  little  songster  and  looked  up.  Sure  enough, 
there  on  a  branch  of  a  great  tree  was  a  beehive. 

One  would  think  that  Pinocchio  would  at  least 
stop  to  thank  the  bird,  but  not  he!  Up  the  tree 
he  went  like  a  squirrel,  while  the  bees  buzzed  about 
him  angrily.  The  marionette  laughed. 

" Sting  away!  sting  away,  brave  bees!  I  am  a 
marionette  and  made  of  wood.  You  may  sting 
me  as  much  as  you  please."  He  thrust  his  hand 
into  the  hive  and  drew  out  a  handful  of  sweet 
honey. 

"This  time  at  least  I  shall  not  die  of  hunger." 


CHAPTER    XXIII 
HIS  ADVENTURE  WITH  A  LION 

THE  marionette  was  on  the  point  of  filling  his 
mouth  a  second  time,  when  he  heard  a  frightful 
roar  directly  under  his  feet.  The  shock  almost 
tumbled  him  down  headfirst.  Had  he  fallen,  how 
unfortunate  it  would  have  been!  He  would  have 
gone  straight  into  the  deep  mouth  of  an  African 
lion  which  was  ready  to  devour  him  at  one  gulp. 

"Oh,  mercy!"  cried  the  marionette.  And  the 
lion  gave  another  dreadful  roar  which  seemed  to 
say:  "  Mercy  indeed!  I  have  you  now,  you  little 
thief." 

"Dear  lion,"  pleaded  Pinocchio,  "have  pity  on 
a  poor  orphan  lad  who  is  nearly  starving!" 

The  lion  roared  still  louder.  "Who  has  given 
you  permission  to  take  what  belongs  to  another 

71 


72  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

without  having  earned  it  by  useful  and  honest 
work?  In  this  world  he  who  does  not  work  must 
starve." 

"You  are  right,  my  dear  lion,  you  are  right.  I 
am  ready  to  pay  to  the  last  cent  for  all  the  honey 
I  eat,  but  please  don't  seem  so  angry  or  I  shall  die 
of  fear." 

Then  the  lion  stopped  roaring,  and  sitting  down 
upon  the  ground,  he  looked  at  the  marionette  as 
if  to  say:  "Well,  what  are  you  going  to  do  about 
it?  Are  you  coming  down  or  not?" 

"Listen,  my  dear  lion,"  answered  Pinocchio; 
"so  long  as  you  stay  there,  I  shall  not  come  down. 
If  you  want  me  to  go  away  and  leave  the  honey, 
remove  yourself  a  hundred  miles  or  so,  and  then 
I  will  obey  you." 

The  lion  did  not  move. 

For  almost  an  hour  Pinocchio  sat  glued  to  the 
tree,  not  daring  to  eat  the  honey  or  to  come  down 
to  the  waiting  lion.  The  hot  rays  of  the  sun  beat 
upon  him.  He  felt  that  he  must  die,  for  hunger, 
fear,  and  heat  seemed  ready  to  destroy  him. 

"Surely  there  must  be  a  way  out  of  this,"  he 
thought.  "That  lion  must  have  in  him  some 
spark  of  kindness.  He  has  made  up  his  mind  to 
keep  me  company,  and  perhaps  it  is  my  duty 
to  thank  him." 


HIS  ADVENTURE  WITH  A  LION  73 

Then  the  marionette  raised  his  hand  to  ask 
permission  to  speak.  It  would  have  been  better 
had  he  kept  still. 

At  this  gesture  the  lion  uttered  a  roar  so  loud 
that  it  shook  the  whole  forest.  He  began  to  lash 
the  ground  with  his  tail,  sending  up  a  cloud  of 
dust  that  nearly  choked  the  marionette,  and  repeat- 
ing all  the  while  in  lion  language,  "If  you  move 
hand  or  foot,  you  will  die!" 

Pinocchio  sat  still.  Another  hour  passed  in 
silence.  Pinocchio  still  suffered  from  the  heat 
and  from  hunger.  Both  honey  and  shade  were 
within  easy  reach,  and  he  could  enjoy  neither. 

"What  an  obstinate  beast!"  he  muttered. 
"How  stupid  he  is  to  wait  there!  There  is  enough 
room  in  the  forest  for  us  both." 

But  the  lion  did  not  move,  and  Pinocchio's 
suffering  was  great.  He  was  sure  now  that  he 
was  going  to  die,  and  he  looked  sadly  at  those 
wooden  legs  which  had  carried  him  through  so 
many  adventures.  There  was  the  shade,  but  he 
could  not  reach  it.  There  was  the  honey  that  must 
not  be  touched. 

"Eat!  eat!"  said  the  honey.  "Come!  come!" 
said  the  shade. 

Fortunately  a  new  character  now  arrived  on 
the  scene.  A  magnificent  giraffe  came  along 


74  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

through  the  bushes,  eating  the  tender  shoots  as 
it  approached  the  spot. 

Pinocchio  saw  the  giraffe  and  recognized  it  at 
once  from  a  picture  of  one  he  had  seen  in  school. 
The  lion  saw  it  also.  What  should  he  do?  Con- 
tinue to  watch  the  marionette,  or  attack  and  carry 
off  the  giraffe?  He  decided  to  take  the  giraffe. 
As  the  animal  raised  its  head  to  bite  off  the  leaves 
from  a  tall  acacia,  the  lion  leaped  at  its  throat 
and  killed  it.  Seizing  the  body  in  his  powerful 
jaws,  the  lion  disappeared  through  the  forest,  and 
Pinocchio  was  left  behind  to  have  his  fill  of  honey. 
He  ate  as  he  had  never  eaten  before. 

When  he  could  eat  no  longer  he  came  down 
from  the  tree,  but  how  strange  he  felt!  His  eyes 
were  dim,  and  his  head  began  to  swim,  while  his 
legs  went  here  and  there  in  every  direction.  He 
could  not  even  talk  clearly. 

"African  honey  plays  jokes  upon  those  who  eat 
too  much  of  it!"  he  seemed  to  hear  some  one  say. 
He  turned  to  see  who  it  was  that  had  spoken  to 
him,  but  no  one  was  there.  The  next  moment 
he  fell  heavily  to  the  ground  as  if  he  had  been 
knocked  down  with  a  club. 

"That  is  what  happens  to  greedy  boys!"  con- 
tinued the  voice  of  the  little  bird  who  had  shown 
him  the  honey,  but  Pinocchio  lay  fast  asleep. 


75 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
PINOCCHIO  IS  BROUGHT  BEFORE  THE  KING 

PINOCCHIO  had  slept  for  hours  when  he  was 
aroused  by  strange  sounds.  Were  these  the  voices 
of  human  beings? 

"Yah!  Yah!  Hoi!  Hoi!  Uff!  Uff!" 

What  could  it  possibly  be?  The  marionette 
opened  an  eye,  but  quickly  shut  it  again  when  he 
saw  a  number  of  coal-black  faces  turned  toward 
him. 

"What  do  these  ugly  people  want  of  me?"  he 
asked  himself,  as  he  lay  there  perfectly  still. 

When  Pinocchio  next  opened  his  eyes  he  saw 
to  his  great  surprise  that  the  men  had  formed  a 
circle  about  him.  At  their  chief's  command  they 
began  to  dance.  It  was  all  so  funny  that  Pinoc- 
chio could  hardly  keep  from  laughing.  Then  the 
chief  made  a  sign,  at  which  the  savages  advanced 

76 


BROUGHT  BEFORE  THE  KING      77 

toward  the  marionette,  took  him  up  by  his  arms 
and  legs,  and  started  away  with  him. 

"This  is  not  so  bad,"  thought  the  marionette. 

After  a  tune  his  bearers  laid  him  gently  upon 
the  ground  and  commenced  to  examine  him. 
Pinocchio  decided  to  make  believe  he  was  dead. 

For  that  reason  he  kept  his  eyes  shut  tightly 
and  lay  still. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  great  noise.  He  was 
startled.  Opening  one  eye,  he  saw  approaching  a 
chief  followed  by  a  crowd  of  attendants.  Judging 
from  the  manner  in  which  the  new  arrivals  were 
received,  they  were  persons  of  high  rank.  At 
their  approach  the  savages  knelt  down,  raised 
their  hands  high  in  the  air,  and  bent  their  fore- 
heads to  the  ground. 

A  man  stepped  out  from  the  ranks  and  came 
toward  Pinocchio.  He  examined  the  marionette 
from  head  to  foot,  while  all  the  others  looked  on 
in  silence. 

When  the  examination  was  over  the  marionette 
hoped  to  be  left  in  peace,  but  another  approached 
him  and  went  through  the  same  performance. 
Then  came  a  third,  a  fourth,  a  fifth,  and  so  on. 

Pinocchio  was  somewhat  tired  of  this.  As  the 
last  one  came  up  he  muttered,  "Now  I  shall  see 
what  they  are  going  to  do  with  me." 


78  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

The  man  who  had  first  examined  Pinocchio 
now  approached  him  again,  and  calling  the  bearers, 
said,  in  a  tongue  which,  curiously  enough,  the 
marionette  understood,  "Turn  the  little  animal 
over!" 

Upon  hearing  himself  called  an  animal,  Pinoc- 
chio was  seized  with  a  mad  desire  to  give  his 
tormentor  a  kick,  but  he  thought  better  of  it. 

The  bearers  advanced,  took  the  marionette  by 
the  shoulders,  and  rolled  him  over. 

"Easy!  easy!  this  bed  is  not  too  soft,"  Pinoc- 
chio said  to  himself. 

A  second  examination  followed,  and  then  an- 
other command,  "Roll  him  over  again!" 

"What  do  you  take  me  for,  —  a  top?"  muttered 
the  marionette  in  a  burst  of  rage.  But  he  pricked 
up  his  ears  when  the  man  who  had  been  rolling  him 
over  turned  to  another  and  said,  "Your  majesty!" 

"Indeed!"  thought  Pinocchio,  "we  are  not  de'al- 
ing  with  ordinary  persons!  We  are  beginning  to 
know  great  people.  Let  me  hear  what  he  has  to 
say  about  me  to  his  black  majesty,"  and  the  mario- 
nette listened  with  the  deepest  attention. 

"Your  majesty,  my  knowledge  of  the  noble  art 
of  cooking  assures  me  that  this  creature"  —and 
he  gave  Pinocchio  a  kick  —  "is  an  animal  of  an 
extinct  race.  It  has  been  turned  into  wood,  carried 


BROUGHT  BEFORE  THE  KING      79 

by  the  water  to  the  beach,  and  then  brought  here 
by  the  wind." 

"Not  so  bad  for  a  cook/'  thought  Pinocchio. 
He  felt  half  inclined  to  strike  out  and  hit  the  nose 
of  the  wise  savage,  who  had  again  knelt  down  to 
examine  him. 

"Your  majesty,"  continued  the  cook,  "this 
little  animal  is  dead,  because  if  it  were  not 
dead  —  " 

"It  would  be  alive,"  Pinocchio  muttered. 
"What  a  beast!  How  stupid!" 

"Because  if  it  were  not  dead,  it  would  not  be 
so  hard.  To  conclude,  had  it  not  been  made  of 
wood,  I  could  have  cooked  it.  for  your  majesty's 
dinner." 

Pinocchio  said  to  himself:  "Listen  to  this  black 
rascal!  Eaten  alive!  What  kind  of  country  have 
I  fallen  into?  What  vulgar  people!  It's  lucky 
for  me  that  I  am  made  of  wood!" 

His  majesty  then  commanded  that  as  the  animal 
was  not  good  to  eat  it  should  be  buried. 

Immediately  three  or  four  of  the  men  began  to 
dig  a  hole,  while  the  unfortunate  marionette,  half 
dead  with  fright,  tried  to  form  some  plan  of  escape. 
The  time  passed.  The  hole  was  dug,  and  the 
poor  fellow  could  not  think  of  any  plan.  Run 
away!  But  how?  And  if  they  found  out  that 


8o  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

he  was  alive  would  he  not  be  cooked  and  eaten? 
The  marionette  did  not  know  what  to  do. 

In  the  meantime  two  men  had  raised  him  from 
the  ground  and  stood  ready  to  throw  him  into  the 
hole.  Then,  in  spite  of  himself,  the  marionette 
began  to  shout  at  the  top  of  his  lungs:  "Stop! 
Stop!  I  will  not  be  buried  alive!  Help!  Help! 
My  good  Fatina !  —  Fatina ! — my  Fatina !  Help ! ' ' 


At  the  first  shout  the  two  men  who  were  hold- 
ing him  let  him  fall  to  the  ground  and  started  off 
in  a  great  fright.  All  the  others  followed  their 
example. 


BROUGHT  BEFORE  THE  KING      81 

"What  funny  people!"  said  Pinocchio.  "If  I 
had  known  that  they  would  all  run  away  like  this, 
I  should  not  have  been  so  uneasy.  However,  I 
really  do  not  know  why  I  have  come  here.  If 
I  only  knew  where  to  find  diamonds  and  gold,  it 
would  not  be  so  hard.  I  might  return  home  to 
my  father,  for  who  knows  how  much  he  is  suffer- 
ing because  I  am  not  there!" 

At  that  moment  he  would  have  given  up  the 
whole  trip,  but  he  was  too  stupid  to  keep  an 
idea  in  his  head  for  more  than  a  few  seconds. 
Another  thought  flashed  across  his  mind,  and  he 
forgot  his  poor  father. 

"If  these  people  run  away,  it  means  that  they 
are  afraid,  and  if  they  are  afraid,  it  means  that 
they  have  no  courage.  Now  then,  I,  being  very 
brave,  may  in  a  short  time  come  to  rule  over  every- 
thing in  Africa.  Perhaps  —  who  knows?  —  I  may 
become  a  king  or  an  emperor!" 

Pinocchio,  you  lazy  dreamer,  are  you  never 
going  to  learn  wisdom?  Only  a  blockhead  like 
you  could  be  so  foolish.  A  wooden  emperor, 
indeed ! 


CHAPTER    XXV 
THE  MONKEYS  STONE  THE  MARIONETTE 

FILLED  with  these  hopes  and  forgetting  his 
fright,  Pinocchio  set  boldly  forth  without  the  least 
alarm  at  the  difficulties  of  the  journey.  He  was 
going  merrily  along,  dreaming  of  all  the  great 
things  he  would  do  as  emperor  of  Africa,  when 
at  a  turn  in  the  road  there  came  flying  after 
him  a  volley  of  stones.  Had  any  struck  him  he 
would  have  been  killed.  Astonished  and  fright- 
ened at  this  strange  turn  of  affairs,  he  glanced 
around,  but  saw  no  one.  He  looked  up  at  the 
trees,  and  then  from  right  to  left,  but  nobody  was 
in  sight. 

"This  is  pleasant!"  exclaimed  the  marionette. 
"Have  those  pebbles  fallen  from  the  sky?"  And 
he  started  to  go  on  his  way. 

82 


MONKEYS  STONE  THE  MARIONETTE       83 

He  had  taken  only  a  few  steps,  when  a  second 
discharge  drove  him  to  the  shelter  of  a  large  tree. 
Thence  he  looked  carefully  in  the  direction  from 
which  the  stones  continued  to  come.  To  his  sur- 
prise he  discovered  among  the  bushes  and  twigs 
a  large  number  of  monkeys. 

"Well!  What  is  this?"  cried  the  marionette. 
"  Those  rogues  must  not  be  allowed  to  play  such 
mean  tricks.  I  had  better  be  on  my  guard." 

He  picked  up  a  stout  stick  lying  on  the  ground 
near  by.  To  his  amazement,  the  monkeys  threw 
away  the  stones  and  began  to  pick  up  sticks  like- 
wise. 

"I  hope  I  shall  get  through  this  safely!"  thought 
Pinocchio.  He  raised  his  stick  and  threatened 
the  whole  army  of  monkeys. 

The  monkeys,  as  if  obeying  his  command,  raised 
their  sticks  and  held  them  erect,  imitating  exactly 
the  action  of  the  marionette.  Then  Pinocchio 
lowered  his  stick,  and  the  monkeys  lowered  theirs. 
Again  Pinocchio  lifted  his  stick  as  high  as  he  could, 
and  the  monkeys  raised  theirs,  holding  them  stiffly 
like  soldiers  on  drill. 

"Arms  rest!"  cried  Pinocchio. 

All  the  monkeys,  imitating  the  marionette, 
lowered  their  sticks  in  perfect  order,  just  as  soldiers 
do  at  the  officer's  command. 


84  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

"That's  a  good  idea,"  thought  Pinocchio.  "I 
might  become  the  leader  of  the  monkeys,  and 
within  a  month  conquer  all  Africa."  And  he 
laughed  at  the  joke. 

The  monkeys  looked  straight  at  him,  standing 
erect  and  in  line  waiting  for  further  orders. 

"Ah!  you  wish  to  follow  me!"  said  the  mari- 
onette. "This  might  suit  your  taste,  but  not 
mine,  thank  you!  I  will  give  you  marching  or- 
ders. Then  I  shall  be  left  in  peace." 

Accordingly  Pinocchio,  who  was  determined  to 
get  away  from  these  annoying  beasts,  moved  two 
steps  forward.  The  monkeys  advanced  two  steps 
also.  Then  he  took  three  steps  to  the  rear,  and 
the  monkeys  went  back  three  steps. 

"At — tention!"  and  facing  about  quickly,  he 
started  to  run.  All  the  monkeys  also  turned, 
and  began  to  run  in  the  direction  opposite  to  that 
taken  by  the  marionette.  Pinocchio,  laughing  at 
his  own  cunning,  went  his  way,  only  now  and  then 
turning  to  watch  the  dark  forms  as  they  disap- 
peared in  the  distance. 

"They  all  run  away  in  this  country,"  he  said 
to  himself,  and  he  too  ran  on,  fearing  that  the 
worthy  beasts  would  return  for  further  orders. 


CHAPTER    XXVI 
PINOCCHIO  DREAMS  AGAIN 

"!F  these  people  are  such  cowards  that  they 
run  at  the  sound  of  my  voice,  in  a  few  days  I  shall 
be  master  of  all  Africa.  I  shall  be  a  great  man. 
However,  this  is  a  country  of  hunger  and  thirst 
and  fatigue.  I  must  find  a  place  where  I  can  rest 
a  little  before  I  begin  my  career  of  conquest." 

Fortune  now  seemed  to  favor  Pinocchio.  Not 
far  off  he  thought  he  saw  a  group  of  huts  at  the 
foot  of  a  hill.  He  felt  that  besides  getting  rest 
and  shelter,  he  might  also  find  something  to  eat. 
Greedy  marionette! 

As  he  approached  he  was  struck  by  the  strange- 
ness of  these  buildings.  They  looked  like  little 
towers  topped  with  domes.  He  went  along  won- 
dering what  race  of  people  lived  in  houses  built 

8S 


86  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

without  windows  or  doors.  He  saw  no  one,  and 
he  was  filled  with  a  sort  of  fear. 

" Shall  I  go  on  or  not?"  he  mused.  " Perhaps 
it  would  be  best  to  call  out.  Some  one  will  show 
me  where  to  go  for  food  and  shelter." 

"Hello  there!"  he  said  in  a  low  voice.  No 
one  answered. 

" Hello  there!"  repeated  the  marionette  a 
little  louder.  But  there  was  no  answer. 

"They  are  deaf,  or  asleep,  or  dead!"  concluded 
the  marionette,  after  calling  out  at  the  top  of  his 
voice  again  and  again. 

Then  he  thought  it  might  be  a  deserted  village, 
and  he  entered  bravely  between  the  towers.  There 
was  no  one  to  be  seen.  As  he  stretched  out  his 
tired  limbs  on  the  ground  he  murmured,  "Since  it 
is  useless  to  think  of  eating,  I  may  at  least  rest." 
And  in  a  few  minutes  he  was  sound  asleep. 

He  dreamed  that  he  was  being  pulled  along  by 
an  army  of  small  insects  that  resembled  ants. 
It  seemed  to  him  that  he  was  making  every  effort 
to  stop  them,  but  he  could  not  succeed.  They 
dragged  and  rolled  him  down  a  slope  toward  a 
frightful  precipice,  over  which  he  must  fall.  It 
even  seemed  as  if  they  had  entered  his  mouth  by 
hundreds,  busying  themselves  in  tearing  out  his 
tongue.  It  served  him  right,  too,  because  his 


PINOCCHIO  DREAMS  AGAIN 


tongue  had  made  many  false  promises  and  caused 
everybody  much  suffering. 

"You  will  never  tell  any  more  lies!"  the  ants 
seemed  to  say. 

Then  the  marionette  awoke  with  a  struggle  and 
a  cry  of  fear.  His  dream  was  a  reality.  He  was 


covered  with  ants.  He  brushed  them  off  his  face, 
his  arms,  his  legs,  —  in  short,  his  whole  body. 
They  had  tortured  him  for  four  or  five  hours,  and 
only  the  fact  that  he  was  made  of  very  hard 
wood  had  saved  his  life. 

"Thanks  to  my  strong  constitution,"   thought 
the  marionette,  "I  am  as  good  as  new." 


CHAPTER    XXVII 

PINOCCHIO    IS    CARRIED   AWAY   IN   AN    EGGSHELL 

PINOCCHIO  now  found  himself  in  a  dense  growth 
of  shrubbery  which  made  his  progress  difficult.  He 
pushed  on  among  the  thorny  plants.  They  would 
have  stopped  any  one  but  a  wooden  marionette. 
His  clothes  were  torn,  to  be  sure,  but  he  did  not 
mind  that. 

"Soon  I  shall  have  a  suit  that  will  make  me 
look  like  a  prince.  Goods  of  the  best  quality, 
and  tailoring  that  has  never  been  equaled!  The 
gold,  the  silver,  and  the  diamonds  must  be  found." 
And  he  went  on  at  a  brisk  gait  as  if  he  had  been 
on  the  highway. 

Trees,  shrubs,  underbrush,  —  nothing  else !  The 
scene  would  have  grown  tiresome  had  it  not  been 
for  a  swarm  of  butterflies  of  the  most  beautiful 
and  brilliant  colors.  They  flew  here  and  there, 
now  letting  themselves  be  carried  by  the  wind, 
now  hovering  about  in  search  of  the  flowers  hidden 
in  the  thick  foliage. 

From  time  to  time  a  hare  would  run  between 
Pinocchio's  feet,  and  after  a  few  bounds  would 

88 


90  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

turn  sharply  around  to  stare  at  him  with  curious 
eyes,  as  much  as  to  say  that  a  marionette  was  a 
comical  sight.  Young  monkeys  peeped  through 
the  leaves,  laughed  at  him,  and  then  scampered 
away. 

Pinocchio  walked  along  fearlessly,  caring  little 
for  what  went  on  around  him,  and  thinking  only 
of  the  treasures  for  which  he  was  seeking. 

On  and  on  he  walked  until  at  length  he  found 
himself  at  the  edge  of  a  vast  plain.  He  gave  a 
great  sigh  of  relief.  The  long  march  through  the 
woods  had  tired  him.  However,  he  kept  his  eyes 
open,  now  and  then  looking  down  at  his  feet  to 
see  if  any  precious  stones  were  lying  about. 
Presently  his  attention  was  drawn  to  a  great 
hole  or  nest,  in  which  he  saw  some  white  objects 
shaped  like  hen's  eggs,  but  considerably  larger 
than  his  head. 

Curious  to  see  whether  or  not  he  could  lift 
one,  Pinocchio  approached  the  nest.  Just  then 
he  heard  a  frightful  noise  behind  him. 

Turning  quickly,  the  marionette  saw  a  huge 
bird  running  toward  him.  The  next  moment  a 
powerful  push  sent  him  head  over  heels  upon  one 
of  the  eggs!  As  he  fell  he  heard  a  loud  crash,  and 
at  almost  the  same  instant  found  himself  carried 
through  the  air.  What  had  befallen  him? 


CARRIED  AWAY  IN  AN  EGGSHELL        91 

Of  course,  the  hole  was  the  nest  of  an  ostrich. 
Enraged  at  the  sight  of  the  broken  egg,  the 
fierce  bird  had  seized  in  its  powerful  beak  that 
part  of  the  shell  into  which  the  unfortunate 
marionette  had  fallen,  and  was  now  rushing 
across  the  plain  with  the  swiftness  of  an  express 
train. 

The  marionette  screamed  in  terror,  and  with 
the  stick  which  he  still  held  in  his  hand  rained 
blows  upon  the  bird's  long  neck.  But  the  blows 
had  no  effect  whatever.  The  furious  creature 
ran  and  ran  and  ran.  Pinocchio,  gasping  for 
breath,  was  certain  that  his  end  was  near. 

The  mad  race  lasted  for  hours.  Suddenly  the 
marionette  was  thrown  into  a  muddy  pool,  in 
which  he  sank  up  to  his  neck  like  a  frog.  Hav- 
ing no  desire  to  be  suffocated  in  the  mud,  he 
raised  his  head  a  little,  although  he  did  not  try 
to  climb  out.  What  he  saw  surprised  him  beyond 
measure. 


CHAPTER    XXVIII 
PINOCCHIO    ESCAPES   AGAIN 

His  ostrich  was  no  longer  alone.  There  stood 
another.  The  new  arrival,  somewhat  smaller,  but 
uglier  and  even  more  ferocious  than  the  first, 
moved  cautiously,  ready  for  fight.  Suddenly 
Pinocchio  saw  the  gleam  of  a  knife,  and  an  instant 
later  the  ostrich  that  had  carried  him  thus  far 
fell  to  the  ground,  wounded  to  death.  The 
marionette  could  not  understand  how  it  was 
possible  for  a  bird  to  carry  a  knife  hidden  beneath 
its  wings  and  to  make  use  of  it.  Yet  the  thing 
had  happened  right  before  his  eyes;  there  was  no 
doubt  about  it. 

While  seeking  an  explanation  for  this  very  strange 
incident,  he  saw  the  victorious  ostrich  draw  first 
one  arm,  then  the  other,  from  beneath  its  feathers, 

92 


PINOCCHIO  ESCAPES  AGAIN  93 

and  finally  take  off  its  beak  and  place  it  upon  the 
ground.  The  second  ostrich  was  a  man. 

Pinocchio  now  began  to  understand  what  had 
happened,  and  to  hate  the  trickster  who  had  put 
on  the  feathers  of  an  ostrich,  in  order  to  attack 
and  kill  the  poor  creature  that  lay  there  breath- 
ing its  last. 

The  man  approached  the  dying  ostrich  and  tried 
to  lift  the  huge  bird  to  his  shoulders,  but  in  spite 
of  his  great  strength  he  failed.  Then,  looking 
about  in  search  of  help,  he  saw  the  marionette, 
whose  head  was  out  of  the  water,  and  signaled  to 
him  to  come  ashore.  Pinocchio  would  have  re- 
fused, but  there  was  the  knife  lying  on  the  ground, 
and  there  was  the  man.  He  decided  to  obey. 

He  came  out  of  the  pond  as  best  he  could,  and 
the  ugly  black  man  began  to  laugh.  He  laughed 
and  laughed  until  he  was  able  to  stand  no  longer, 
and  could  only  throw  himself  upon  the  ground, 
where  he  lay,  breathless  and  weak.  The  mari- 
onette, seeing  this,  said  to  himself:  "If  I  do  not 
escape  now,  it  will  be  my  own  fault.  My  dear 
legs,  it  is  no  dishonor  to  run  when  you  must!" 
and  he  went  on  at  a  gallop  toward  a  hill  which 
could  be  seen  a  short  distance  away. 

"May  you  die  of  laughing,  you  villain!"  he 
cried  as  he  ran. 


94  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

Presently  he  was  somewhat  alarmed  to  discover 
that  the  man  was  running  after  him.  Feeling 
sure,  however,  that  he  could  easily  outrun  his  pur- 
suer, he  halted  a  moment,  as  if  waiting  for  him. 
The  man  was  hurrying  on,  thinking  that  the  boy 
could  go  no  farther,  when  the  saucy  marionette, 
putting  his  hand  to  his  mouth,  shouted  " Cuckoo!" 
Then  at  a  pace  swifter  than  the  wind  he  set  off 
once  more,  pausing  now  and  again  to  call  out, 
"  Cuckoo!  Cuckoo!" 

Pinocchio  had  nearly  reached  the  top  of  the  hill, 
and  the  man  was  halfway  up,  when  a  loud  roar 
made  them  both  stop.  Turning  around,  they  saw 
that  a  lion  was  carrying  off  the  dead  ostrich.  At 
that,  the  hunter  thrust  his  ringers  into  his  curly 
hair,  and  without  paying  further  attention  to  the 
marionette,  started  off  to  regain  the  knife,  which 
was  still  lying  where  it  had  fallen. 

"Tit  for  tat,"  Pinocchio  shouted  after  him,  and 
went  on  up  the  hill. 


CHAPTER    XXIX 
PINOCCHIO    IS   SWALLOWED   BY  A    CROCODILE 

WHEN  Pinocchio  reached  the  top  of  the  hill 
he  looked  around  for  a  place  where  he  could  rest. 
He  thought  of  the  lion  that  had  carried  off  the 
ostrich,  and  he  did  not  like  the  idea  of  meeting 
him.  Fortunately  there  were  no  signs  of  life, 
but  neither  was  there  any  place  where  he  could  sit 
down  in  comfort.  Sand  and  rocks,  rocks  and  sand 
were  everywhere.  In  the  distance  he  saw  water. 

"At  any  rate,"  he  said,  "I  shall  at  least  be  able 
to  wash  myself;"  and  he  turned  his  footsteps 
toward  the  water. 

He   arrived   before   long   at   the   water's   edge. 
How  fresh  and  clean  it  was!     He  was  so  dusty 
and  tired  that  there  was  only  one  thing  to  do,  - 
take   a  bath!     When   Pinocchio   decided  upon  a 

95 


96  PTNOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

course  of  action  he  did  not  hesitate.  In  an 
instant  he  was  undressed. 

As  he  started  toward  the  water  a  voice  cried, 
' '  Pinocchio !  Pinocchio ! ' ' 

"Oh,  let  Pinocchio  alone!"  the  marionette  said, 
and  leaped  into  the  air. 

Horrors!  As  he  came  flying  down,  a  green 
mass  rose  to  the  surface  of  the  river.  It  was  a 
crocodile!  Pinocchio  saw  it  and  shuddered,  but 
there  was  no  time  to  cry  out.  Down,  down  he 
went  into  that  open  mouth!  But  wooden  mari- 
onettes are  always  fortunate.  The  crocodile's 
throat  was  so  wide  that  Pinocchio  slipped  into  the 
stomach  of  the  creature  with  great  ease.  Not 
even  a  scratch!  As  he  was  accustomed  to  being 
under  water  and  inside  the  bodies  of  animals,  he 
was  not  at  all  frightened.  In  fact,  when  he 
noticed  that  he  was  being  carried  down  to  the 
bottom  of  the  river,  where  it  was  cool  and 
refreshing,  he  uttered  no  word  of  complaint,  but 
rather  enjoyed  the  experience. 

The  crocodile  crawled  in  to  a  cave,  and  prepared 
to  digest  the  marionette  at  its  leisure.  Pinocchio 
was  naturally  annoyed  at  this  and  began  to  kick 
and  squirm  about. 

At  first  this  did  not  seem  to  cause  any  ill  effects, 
but  Pinocchio  kicked  and  struggled  until  the  poor 


SWALLOWED   BY  A   CROCODILE 


97 


reptile  could  not  help  wondering  what  the  trouble 
was,  and  began  to  twist  and  shake  its  whole  body. 
Pinocchio  did  not  stop.  Presently  the  crocodile 
decided  to  return  to  the  surface  and  deposit  the 


marionette  upon  the  bank.  Pinocchio  desired 
nothing  better.  As  soon  as  he  saw  a  ray  of  light 
he  became  very  quiet.  The  crocodile,  now  that 
the  trouble  seemed  over,  was  about  to  return  to 


PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 


its  cave,  but  it  had  made  this  plan  without  con- 
sulting our  wooden  marionette. 

"  Suppose  I  let  the  beast  carry  me  a  short  dis- 
tance! I  can  make  it  throw  me  upon  the  bank 
later  as  well  as  now!  It  may  carry  me  to  some 
place  where  —  enough,  I.  am  going  to  try  it! 
A  green  ship,  without  sails,  without  engines,  and 
without  a  crew,  is  not  to  be  found  every  day. 
Boo!  boo!  boo!"  muttered  the  marionette. 

The  crocodile,  frightened  at  the  strange  noises 
inside  its  body,  began  to  swim  with  all  its  strength. 
It  swam  and  swam  and  swam!  When  it  slowed 
up  the  marionette  continued,  "Boo!  boo!  boo!" 
and  the  crocodile  went  on  faster  than  ever. 

The  poor  creature  became  thoroughly  exhausted, 
and  fairly  wept  with  anger  and  fright,  but  the 
strange  voice  went  on  without  ceasing. 

At  last,  growing  desperate,  the  crocodile  stopped, 
opened  its  huge  jaws,  and  with  a  great  effort  sent 
the  marionette  flying  through  the  air  to  the  bank 
of  the  river;  then  it  disappeared  in  the  deep  water. 

" Pleasant  trip  home!  Remember  me  to  every- 
body!" cried  Pinocchio  as  he  leaped  about  joyously. 


CHAPTER    XXX 

PINOCCHIO  IS  MADE   EMPEROR 

/  FINDING  himself  without  any  clothes,  the  mari- 
onette began  to  think  of  his  condition.  To  go 
back  and  search  for  his  suit  was  out  of  the  question. 
To  go  about  in  that  state  did  not  seem  proper, 
although  he  knew  that  the  Africans  in  general 
were  dressed  in  the  same  fashion. 

Finally  he  decided  to  make  himself  a  suit  of 
leaves.  There  were  some  beautiful  ones  near  by 
that  were  just  suited  to  the  purpose.  He  knew 
how  to  go  to  work,  for  at  home  he  had  often 
made  clothes  out  of  shavings  and  twigs.  He  set 
about  his  task  at  once  and  in  a  short  time  had 
made  a  garment  that  reached  from  his  waist  down 
to  his  knees.  He  was  busy  selecting  the  leaves 
for  a  coat  when  he  happened  to  raise  his  eyes,  and 

99 


loo  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

saw  a  crowd  of  men  and  women  rushing  about 
as  if  either  very  happy  or  frantic  with  terror. 

"  Luna  tics!"  he  murmured,  and  went  on  with  his 
work,  for  he  disliked  to  be  seen  half-dressed.  All 
at  once  the  marionette  heard  a  hissing,  humming 
sound.  A  cloud  of  arrows  fell  around  him.  He 
was  amazed  and  terrified,  not  by  the  arrows, — for 
what  harm  could  arrows  do  to  him?  —  but  by  the 
idea  that  this  meant  more  trouble  for  Pinocchio. 

"So  long  as  they  shoot,  I  fear  nothing;  but  if 
they  try  to  capture  me,  I  may  have  to  jump  into 
the  river  and  take  to  my  green  ship." 

The  arrows  continued  to  fall  like  hailstones  on 
his  shoulders,  on  his  breast,  on  his  arms  and  legs; 
but  of  course  they  dropped  to  the  ground  without 
doing  any  harm.  The  natives  were  astonished. 
They  looked  at  one  another  in  blank  surprise. 

Pinocchio,  weary  of  the  game,  turned  in  anger 
toward  them  and  shouted:  "Give  up  shooting, 
stupid  ones!  Do  you  not  see  that  you  are  wast- 
ing your  time?" 

They  had  already  perceived  that  this  was  true, 
and  they  stopped  shooting.  A  group  braver 
than  the  rest  now  approached  the  marionette  and 
surrounded  him.  One  of  them  shouted,  "Hoi! 
Hoi!  Hoi!" 

"Pinocchio!"  answered  the  marionette. 


PINOCCHIO  IS   MADE  EMPEROR 


101 


"Yah!  Yah!  Yah!" 

"Pinocchio!"  the  boy  repeated.  "Are  you 
deaf?" 

Then  they  began  to  shout  in  chorus:  "Yah! 
Yah!  Hoi!  Hoi!  Uff!  Uff!  Uff!" 

And  Pinocchio  replied:  "Yah!  Yah!  Hoi!  Hoi! 
Uff!  Uff!  Uff!" 

This  conversation  soon  began  to  be  wearisome, 
and  Pinocchio  tried  to  escape.  It  was  too  late. 
The  Africans,  quick  as  a  flash,  closed  in  about  him 
and,  seizing  him  by  the  legs,  raised  him  from  the 
ground,  shouting:  "Long  live  our  emperor,  Pinoc- 
chio the  First!  Long  live  our  emperor,  Pinocchio!" 

Pinocchio  had  never  dreamed  of  such  a  welcome. 

"Long  live  Pinocchio!" 

"Ah!  at  last!  I  knew  that  in  Africa  my  great- 
ness would  be  recognized.  Now  I  shall  be  revenged 
on  you,  my  dear  restaurant-keeper,  and  on  you,  dear 


102  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

policemen,  who  wanted  to  arrest  me.  Old  man,  you 
who  wanted  to  sell  me  for  a  rhinoceros  horn,  now 
it  is  my  turn!"  Thus  thought  Pinocchio. 

This  was  his  first  triumph.  Flocking  like  ra- 
vens, his  African  subjects  came  to  render  homage 
to  the  new  emperor,  who  was  carried  aloft 
on  willing  shoulders.  As  he  passed,  all  bowed 
to  the  ground  and  then  followed  in  his  train. 
Such  a  multitude  joined  the  procession  that  it 
looked,  from  a  distance,  like  a  vast  blot  of  ink. 
They  went  along  singing  the  praises  of  Pinocchio 
the  First,  Emperor  and  King  of  all  the  African 
kings,  sent  from  heaven  to  earth  to  replace  the 
late  emperor,  who  had  died  the  preceding  day. 

As  they  marched  a  great  chorus  chanted:  "He 
was  to  come  forth  from  the  mouth  of  a  croco- 
dile! He  was  to  remain  unharmed  by  poisoned 
arrows!  He  was  to  have  a  wooden  head!  Long 
live  our  emperor,  Pinocchio  the  First!  Hurrah! 
hurrah!  hurrah!" 

"They  shot  poisoned  arrows  at  me!"  thought 
the  marionette.  "That  is  the  way  they  treated 
their  future  king.  Lucky  for  me  that  I  am  made 
of  wood,  —  very  hard  wood  too !  How  fortunate 
that  I  came  to  Africa  as  a  marionette!  If  I  had 
been  a  real  boy,  there  would  be  little  to  say  about 
Pinocchio  now." 


CHAPTER   XXXI 
HIS   FIRST  NIGHT  AS  EMPEROR 

PINOCCHIO,  his  heart  filled  with  joy,  entered 
the  capital  of  his  new  empire  amid  the  shouts  of 
the  people  who  crowded  the  streets.  The  chil- 
dren, rolling  on  the  ground  in  glee,  raised  such  a 
dust  that  one  could  scarcely  see. 

Forward,  forward,  they  marched  through  the 
streets  until  the  main  square  was  reached.  The 
city  was  not  a  large  city.  Pinocchio  was  a  little 
disappointed.  The  houses  were  only  huts  plas- 
tered with  mud.  The  streets  and  even  the  main 
square  were  dirty. 

"I  will  change  all  that,"  Pinocchio  gravely 
said  to  himself.  "I  will  build  a  new  city."  To 
the  marionette  such  a  task  appeared  to  be  an  easy 
matter. 

103 


104  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

In  a  corner  of  the  square  stood  a  hut  somewhat 
larger  than  the  others.  This  was  the  royal  palace. 
Pinocchio  was  not  pleased.  The  king  of  all 
Africa  should  have  something  far  better  than  this. 
However,  he  thought  it  would  not  do,  just  at  this 
time,  to  utter  any  words  of  complaint. 

In  the  huts  about  the  palace  lived  the  people 
of  the  court.  These  were  the  advisers  and  the 
leaders,  who  stood  ready  to  carry  out  the  com- 
mands of  his  majesty. 

Like  many  another  in  such  a  situation,  Pinoc- 
chio did  nothing  but  bow  his  head  in  agreement 
with  everything  that  was  said  to  him.  This 
greatly  pleased  the  people  of  the  court  and  gained 
for  him  their  admiration  and  applause.  They 
called  him  Pinocchio  the  Wise! 

Night  came  and  all  the  people  withdrew.  The 
emperor  was  left  alone  with  his  servant,  a  gigan- 
tic African,  who  invited  his  majesty  to  pass  into 
the  royal  bedchamber. 

The  furniture  was  as  simple  as  the  palace  itself. 
A  string,  stretched  across  the  room,  served  as  a 
clothes-hanger.  The  bed  was  a  leopard's  skin  that 
swung  from  four  poles.  Having  displayed  with 
pride  these  equipments,  the  servant  pointed  to  a 
frying  pan,  which  was  to  be  struck  with  a  wooden 
mallet  in  case  his  majesty  desired  to  call  the 


HIS  FIRST  NIGHT  AS  EMPEROR          105 


attendants.  He  then  withdrew  from  the  cham- 
ber, bowing  as  he  went  out. 

X^Apparently  they  do  not  eat  here,"  said  the 
marionette.  "  Maybe  these  people  think  that 
an  emperor  is  never  hungry!  However,  night 
passes  quickly."  Then  he  undressed  himself  and 
lay  down.  He  was  quite  tired  out,  and  he  felt 
sure  that  in  a  few  moments  he  should  be  fast 
asleep.  But  soon  he  began  to  roll  and  toss  about 
uneasily.  The  bed  was  hard  and  uncomfortable. 
He  opened  his  eyes.  There  was  a  spider  crawling 
over  him,  and  he  shivered.  Other  spiders,  as  large 
as  crabs,  were  creeping  quietly  over  the  ground 
and  the  walls  as  if  this  was  their  home  and  not  the. 
king's! 

There  was  one  spider  twice  as  large  as  the  others. 
Surely  he  was  the  head  of  that  large  family.  He 
fixed  his  fiery  eyes  upon  the  marionette  and  spoke 
in  the  voice  of  the  Talking  Cricket:  "  Where  have 
you  come  from  —  fool  that  you  are?  What  do 
you  think  you  have  gained  by  becoming  the  em- 
peror of  these  people?  Return  to  your  home,  and 
be  content  to  be  a  boy  like  the  rest,  and  to  learn  a 
trade  by  which  you  may  help  your  father  and  be 
happy  yourself." 

Upon  hearing  these  familiar  words  the  mario- 
nette wanted  to  beat  the  pan  and  call  for  help, 


106  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

but,  he  reflected,  this  would  show  that  he  lacked 
courage  and  might  lower  him  in  the  eyes  of  his 
subjects.  So  he  endured  his  fate,  thinking:  "A 
night  soon  passes.  To-morrow  night  I  will  have 
a  sentinel  on  guard."  And  he  drew  himself  up, 
mallet  in  hand,  ready  to  fight  the  spiders  if 
they  came  too  near  him.  All  was  still,  and 
Pinocchio  tried  a  second  time  to  close  his  eyes  in 
sleep. 

"Buzz!  buzz!  buzz!" 

The  place  swarmed  with  flies. 

"  Zz  /  zz  I  zeeee  r  zeeee ,  zmm ,  zmmm ! ' ' 

Out  in  the  night  frogs  croaked,  birds  cried,  wild 
animals  howled. 

"What  a  place  to  sleep  in!"  whined  the  poor 
emperor,  flinging  himself  about  on  his  hard  bed. 

Then  he  thought  of  his  own  small  cot,  neat  and 
clean,  in  which  he  had  so  often  peacefully  slept 
and  dreamed  pleasant  dreams.  It  will  not  seem 
strange  that  Pinocchio  wished  that  he  were  at 
home  again,  instead  of  being  a  king  in  Africa. 

Pinocchio  the  First,  Emperor  and  King  of  all 
the  African  kings,  passed  a  very  wretched  night. 
He  felt  hot  and  feverish,  and  he  was  afraid  that 
he  was  going  to  die  before  morning  came. 


CHAPTER    XXXII 
HE  SENDS  FOR  THE   ROYAL  DOCTOR 

PINOCCHIO  presently  became  very  anxious  about 
his  health.  He  was  sure  that  the  night's  troubles 
had  brought  on  a  high  fever,  and  this,  of  course, 
would  keep  him  from  attending  to  affairs  of 
state.  At  dawn,  therefore,  Pinocchio  the  First 
rapped  the  pan  and  sent  for  the  doctor  of  the 
court.  He  was  an  old  man,  with  a  long  white 
beard.  Having  listened  to  the  emperor's  lament, 
the  doctor  drew  out  a  string  of  beads  from  his 
breast,  threw  them  on  the  floor,  and  examined 
them  closely,  all  the  time  murmuring  strange 
words.  Then  he  began  to  count  the  beads.  At 
the  end  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour  he  said  that  his 
royal  majesty  was  in  excellent  health  and  need 
not  worry. 

107 


io8 


PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 


The  marionette's  rage  knew  no  bounds,  but  it 
would  not  do  to  complain  at  the  very  beginning  of 
his  career.  He  thanked  the  worthy  doctor  there- 
fore, and  dismissed  him  with  a  polite  nod  of  the 


head.  Then  he  again  rapped  furiously  on  the 
pan.  There  promptly  appeared  eight  or  ten 
servants,  who  first  knelt  down  at  the  foot  of 
the  imperial  bed,  and  then  advancing  with 
every  sign  of  respect,  raised  his  majesty  gently, 


HE  SENDS  FOR  THE   ROYAL  DOCTOR     109 

and  placed  him  upon  a  panther's  skin  that  was 
stretched  upon  the  floor. 

Pinocchio  allowed  them  to  proceed,  until  they 
began  to  cover  his  body  with  oil.  At  this,  he 
asked  why  they  anointed  him  in  such  a  manner. 

"To  make  you  clean,  your  majesty,"  answered 
the  servants,  very  respectfully. 

"Fine  cleaning!"  thought  the  marionette. 
"How  are  my  face  and  hands  to  get  washed  this 
morning?  Never  mind.  Let  us  see  what  comes 
next." 

This  first  operation  ended,  Pinocchio  the  First 
was  made  to  sit  cross-legged  to  have  his  hair 
combed.  His  attendants  covered  his  hair  with  a 
purple  cream  and  then  sprinkled  over  it  a  golden 
powder. 

Pinocchio's  joy  upon  seeing  that  glittering  sub- 
stance knew  no  bounds,  but  he  overheard  one  of 
the  servants  say  in  a  melancholy  undertone: 
"What  a  pity  his  majesty  has  not  a  black  com- 
plexion such  as  we  have!  What  a  pity!  What 
a  pity!" 

The  marionette  was  moved  to  the  bottom  of 
his  heart,  and  he  was  about  to  say,  "You  may 
be  sure,  my  dear  subjects,  I  shall  do  the  best 
I  can  to  become  black,"  when  he  heard  foot- 
steps approach. 


CHAPTER    XXXIII 
AN  OLD   STORY 

THE  grand  chamberlain  was  announced. 

This  grave  person  had  come  to  inquire  about 
his  majesty's  health,  and  at  the  same  time  to 
notify  him  that  the  council  had  fixed  the  day 
for  the  coronation. 

Pinocchio  the  First  listened  and  approved. 
The  grand  chamberlain,  very  much  pleased  with 
his  reception,  made  a  deep  bow,  and  was  apparently 
about  to  retire,  when,  as  if  he  had  forgotten  some- 
thing important,  he  approached  the  emperor  again 
and  said  with  great  respect,  "Your  majesty,  in 
the  name  of  the  council  I  must  announce  to  you 
that  to-morrow  the  lessons  begin." 

"What  lessons?"  said  the  marionette,  feeling 
a  chill  creep  down  his  back. 


AN  OLD  STORY  in 

"Ah!  I  will  explain,"  the  chamberlain  replied 
meekly.  "The  things  that  your  majesty  must  do 
to  straighten  out  the  affairs  of  state  are  very 
simple.  Only  two  words  are  needed,  'Yes'  and 
'No!'  But  to  say  'Yes'  or  'No'  at  the  proper 
time  requires  at  least  one  month  of  instruction. 
To  make  sure  that  you  learn,  there  will  be,  twice 
each  day,  a  punishment  of  ten  lashes  of  the  whip,  to 
be  given  your  majesty -on  whatever  part  of  the 
body  you  may  desire.  However,  in  view  of  the 
present  wisdom  of  your  majesty,  the  council  has 
agreed  that  the  lessons  and  the  lashings  may  be 
delayed  till  the  end  of  the  month,  if  your  majesty 
so  decides." 

Pinocchio  had  listened  gloomily  until  he  heard 
the  last  words,  and  then  he  came  near  laughing 
outright.  He  kept  his  face  very  serious,  however, 
and  bowed  his  head  as  if  in  deep  thought.  After 
a  long  silence  he  said,  "I  have  decided  'to  leave 
the  lessons  till  the  end  of  the  month." 

The  grand  chamberlain  made  a  profound  bow 
and  went  out. 

The  servants  went  away  also,  and  Pinocchio, 
finding  himself  alone,  jumped  about  in  great  glee. 

"Compulsory  fiddlesticks!  What  blockheads 
they  were  to  think  that  I  was  going  to  start 
to-day !  At  the  end  of  the  month,  perhaps !  There 


H2  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

are  still  thirty  days,  and  in  thirty  days  what  may 
not  happen?"  And  he  looked  about  quite  satis- 
fied with  himself.  He  was  sure  that  everything 
would  go  well  during  his  stay  in  Africa. 

"If  they  sprinkled  my  hair  with  gold,  they  will 
fill  my  pockets  with  money,"  he  thought.  And 
then  to  his  surprise  he  found  that  the  suit  they  had 
put  on  him  had  no  pockets. 

"I  shall  make  pockets  as  soon  as  I  have  time," 
he  said,  and  striking  the  pan,  ordered  the  servants 
to  bring  in  his  breakfast. 


CHAPTER    XXXIV 
HIS  DUTIES  AS  EMPEROR 

PINOCCHIO  was  served  with  a  piece  of  elephant's 
nose,  cooked  in  a  highly  seasoned  sauce.  How  he 
twisted  his  face  and  ground  his  teeth!  Evidently 
the  meal  was  not  to  his  liking.  He  would  have 
preferred  some  fish,  some  grapes,  and  a  dozen  figs, 
but  he  was  ashamed  to  ask  for  these  dainties.  He 
gulped  down  the  food  as  best  he  could,  and  drank 
from  a  gourd  a  great  deal  of  water;  then  he  felt 
more  comfortable. 

His  ministers  had  been  waiting  some  time,  and 
Pinocchio  did  not  think  it  wise  to  prolong  his 
first  meal.  With  a  truly  stately  stride  he  entered 
the  audience  chamber. 

Pinocchio  the  First,  Emperor  and  King  of  all 
Africa,  felt  it  to  be  his  first  duty  to  express  his 
gratitude  for  the  magnificent  reception  that  had 

"3 


114  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

been  given  to  him.  The  ministers  made  an 
equally  polite  response. 

Persons  of  rank  now  came  to  pay  homage  to 
the  new  king.  Among  them  were  great  chiefs 
of  tribes,  princes,  and  kings  of  the  neighboring 
states.  Pinocchio  received  them  all  with  much 
pomp.  This  sort  of  thing  was  at  first  very  pleas- 
ing to  him.  But  day  after  day  the  visitors  and  the 
feasts  continued.  As  Pinocchio  was  the  host,  he 
had  to  eat  with  all  these  newcomers.  He  became 
very  stout,  and  his  jaws  ached  from  so  much 
chewing.  Eating  was  becoming  a  burden  to  him. 
He  even  longed  for  the  days  when  he  had  gone 
hungry.  However,  one  must  take  things  as  they 
come  and  be  ready  to  suffer  for  the  good  of  one's 
country. 

One  day  there  came  to  the  court  three  kings, 
the  most  powerful  within  a  range  of  a  thousand 
miles.  The  first  was  clad  in  a  white  skirt,  and 
a  military  coat  which  he  had  bought  from  an 
English  captain.  He  came  with  his  head  un- 
covered and  a  high  hat  in  his  hand.  The  second 
wore  an  old  helmet  on  the  back  of  his  head.  The 
third  carried  a  clumsy  sword  in  one  hand  and  in 
the  other  a  broken  umbrella. 

They  bowed  to  the  ground  very  respectfully,  and 
then  each  in  turn  slapped  Pinocchio  in  the  face. 


HIS  DUTIES  AS  EMPEROR  115 

The  marionette,  who  did  not  expect  this  sort 
of  greeting,  was  about  to  express  his  anger,  when 
the  master  of  ceremonies  whispered  in  his  ear 
that  such  a  greeting  was  given  only  to  great 
people. 

"  When  in  Rome,  do  as  the  Romans  do,"  thought 
Pinocchio,  and  he  smiled  at  the  visitors. 

Dinner  was  then  announced.  Pinocchio  felt 
sick  at  the  thought  of  eating  again.  It  was  the 
fifth  time  that  day,  and  the  sun  was  still  high  in 
the  sky,  but  of  course  it  was  not  proper  to  dismiss 
three  kings  without  having  feasted  them. 

They  went  out  to  the  dining  room,  which  was 
under  a  tree.  Beneath  the  branches  were  more 
than  a  thousand  people.  They  all  sat  on  the 
ground,  and  were  waited  upon  by  tall  young  men, 
who  carried  around  large  plates  of  meat. 

The  three  kings  gave  themselves  up  to  the  joys 
of  eating.  They  took  their  food  in  their  hands, 
and  swallowed  it  without  even  stopping  to  chew 
it.  Each  man  ate  enough  to  satisfy  a  score  of 
ordinary  people,  for  African  kings  are  great  eaters. 
The  poor  marionette  tried  to  eat  as  much  as  the 
others  did.  He  felt  that  his  reputation  depended 
upon  it.  How  he  suffered! 

At  sunset,  when  all  had  satisfied  their  hunger, 
there  was  placed  before  them  a  strange-looking 


n6  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

affair  with  a  long  tube  fastened  to  it.  A  dis- 
agreeable smoke  came  out  of  it. 

"What  new  thing  is  this?"  thought  the  mario- 
nette, but  he  did  not  say  a  word,  for  by  this 
time  he  had  learned  that  an  emperor  must  appear 
to  know  everything. 

The  matter,  however,  was  quickly  made  clear. 
The  outfit  was  a  huge  pipe,  with  a  long  mouth- 
piece. The  master  of  ceremonies  presented  the 
mouthpiece  to  the  emperor  and  asked  him  to  have 
the  kindness  to  smoke. 

"What  blockheads!"  the  marionette  muttered 
to  himself.  "I  never  smoke  anything  but  the 
finest  cigars!" 

Still,  he  considered  it  wise  to  make  no  objections. 
He  puffed  twice  on  the  pipe  stem,  and  then  passed 
it  to  the  king  that  sat  at  his  right  hand. 

The  king  drew  a  mouthful  and  then  passed  the 
pipe  to  his  next  neighbor.  Thus  the  pipe  moved 
along  in  regular  order  until  it  came  back  to  Pinoc- 
chio.  Poor  Pinocchio!  he  was  already  feeling  a 
little  queer  after  his  first  attempt,  and  did  not 
enjoy  the  idea  of  smoking  again;  but  he  knew  that 
he  must  live  up  to  the  reputation  of  a  great  emperor. 
Accordingly  he  bravely  took  the  pipe  and  puffed 
half  a  dozen  times. 

Alas!     It  would  have  been  better  for  him  had 


n8  PINOCCHIO  JN  AFRICA 

he  not  tried  it  again!  He  was  wretchedly  sick. 
His  head  swam  dizzily,  and  the  sweat  stood  out 
on  his  forehead.  He  tried  to  hide  his  feelings  by 
talking,  but  what  he  said  was  sheer  nonsense. 

"When  I  was  king  in  my  own  country,   the 

Talking  Cricket  told  me  —  because  my  feet  burned 

-that  the  alphabet  had  been  swallowed  by  the 

cat  —  that  was  hung  to  a  tree  by  a  dog  —  that 

was  owned  by  the  director  of  the  circus." 

He  gazed  around  him,  frightened  at  his  own 
words,  but  he  saw  the  flushed  faces  of  the  people, 
and  heard  them  whisper:  "The  sea  talks  — 
"The  sun  is  filled  with  stars—"  "The  tiger 
laughs-  "The  summer  is  red  -  "  and  similar 
phrases  equally  sensible. 

"What  is  the  matter  with  everybody?"  thought 
the  marionette,  as  he  looked  about,  and  saw  one 
of  the  kings  asleep  on  the  ground  beside  him. 
Other  forms  were  stretched  out  around  them. 
Even  as  he  looked,  Pinocchio  the  First,  Emperor 
and  King  of  all  Africa,  fell  over  on  his  wooden 
nose,  and  he  too  was  soon  fast  asleep. 


CHAPTER    XXXV 
PINOCCHIO  MAKES  HIS  FIRST  ADDRESS 

THE  next  day  was  a  splendid  one.  The  sky  was 
a  clear  blue,  the  earth  was  green  and  fresh.  Thou- 
sands upon  thousands  shouted  with  joy.  Pinoc- 
chio  was  to  be  crowned  king  and  emperor. 

He  had  carefully  prepared  the  royal  address, 
and  came  proudly  forward  mounted  upon  a  large 
elephant,  towering  above  his  people.  The  trump- 
ets sounded,  the  drums  beat,  the  children  rolled 
on  the  ground.  At  a  signal  from  the  master  pf 
ceremonies  all  was  still.  Even  the  birds  ceased 
to  sing.  A  troop  of  monkeys,  leaping  about  in 
the  trees,  paused  to  listen.  The  emperor  spoke 
as  follows: 

"  Ministers  of  Africa,  officers  of  the  army, 
chiefs  and  underchiefs,  servants  and  slaves,  men, 
women,  and '  children,  all,  beloved  subjects,  listen 
119 


120  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

to  the  voice  of  your  emperor!"  —and  Pinocchio 
looked  around  at  the  multitude. 

"We,  Pinocchio  the  First,  speak  to  you,  and 
bring  to  you  the  word  of  peace  and  of  love.  A 
new  day  is  about  to  open  to  you.  Rejoice,  O 
people!  We  have  concluded  to  bring  happiness  to 
every  heart  and  riches  to  every  home.  We  shall 
not  reveal  all  the  plans  which,  in  time,  we  hope  to 
see  carried  out.  We  shall  begin  very  modestly. 
Our  first  gift  to  you,  O  people,  is  Time.  Time 
is  very  valuable.  We  have  a  great  deal  of  it  in 
store.  Our  kingdom  is  rich  in  Time;  therefore  we 
have  decreed  to  give  each  of  you  as  much  Time 
as  you  want.  How  can  we  be  more  generous! 

"Behold  the  bright  sun  in  the  clear  blue  sky! 
There  is  not  its  equal  anywhere  else  in  the  world. 
Kings  are  proud  of  it.  We,  your  emperor  and 
ruler,  have  decreed  that  every  one  of  you,  our 
faithful  subjects,  may  enjoy  the  sunlight  free  of 
any  charge,  without  tax  or  duty.  Can  we  be  more 
unselfish? 

"You  hear  the  song  of  the  birds,  the  voices  of 
the  animals,  the  rustling  of  the  leaves  in  the  wind! 
These  also  we  give  you  to  enjoy  at  your  leisure, 
and  without  expense. 

"There  is  one  thing,  however,  that  needs  our 
special  notice,  and  this  we  shall  now  bring  to  your 


PINOCCHIO  MAKES  HIS  FIRST  ADDRESS      12 1 

attention.  Remember,  we  shall  enforce  with  all 
our  power  this  law  we  are  about  to  propose." 

Here  Pinocchio  placed  his  hand  upon  his  breast 
and  looked  toward  the  sky. 

"We  will  never  introduce  into  our  kingdom  that 
shameful  system  which  brings  sorrow  to  many 
countries  known  to  us.  We  speak  of  the  horrible 
scheme  called  Compulsory  Education!  What  a  dis- 
grace it  is,  beloved  subjects,  to  see  so  many  bright, 
intelligent  children  seated  for  hours  and  hours  be- 
fore books  which  ruin  their  eyesight!  The  eye  is 
a  precious  jewel,  and  it  is  improved,  not  by  books, 
but  by  looking  here  and  there,  above  and  below, 
everywhere  and  anywhere,  as  the  butterflies  and 
the  birds  do.  Let  us  teach  our  children  as  nature 
teaches  us.  Let  us  burn  our  books  and  our  schools. 
Do  not  drive  our  dear  little  ones  to  silly  words 
and  cruel  numbers'.  It  makes  our  heart  bleed  to 
see  parents  call  their  children  from  some  pleasant 
game  and  shut  them  up  in  ugly  schoolrooms." 

At  this  point  Pinocchio  was  so  moved  that  he 
had  to  stop.  He  looked  around  at  the  many 
mothers,  and  saw  them  wipe  the  tears  from 
their  eyes.  Proud  of  the  impression  his  words 
had  made  on  these  kind  hearts,  he  went  on 
in  a  tone  so  pathetic  that  it  touched  even  the 
elephant  which  carried  him. 


122 


PTNOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 


"  These  are  gentle  tears,  dear  subjects,  and  they 
show  how  noble  are  your  hearts.  You  love  your 
children.  We  ourselves  will  never  see  them  suffer. 
No,  a  thousand  times  no!  We  are  not  so  cruel 
as  to  tear  you  away  from  your  dear  ones.  They 
may  continue  to  roll  upon  the  grass,  free  as  the 
birds  that  fly.  They  are  free  to  hunt  for  crickets, 
to  steal  birds'  nests,  to  bite  and  to  kick  each  other, 
to  run  and  play  in  the  fields  and  woods  with  the 
monkeys. 


PINOCCHIO  MAKES  HIS  FIRST  ADDRESS     123 

"We  consider  these  exercises  very  necessary, 
and  whenever  the  grave  affairs  of  the  state  will 
permit  we  will  visit  you  and  encourage  these 
sports.  You  perceive  that  in  this  matter  you 
owe  much  to  your  emperor,  who  was  made  to  go 
to  school,  and  who  saw  the  evils  of  education. 
Alas!  too  many  of  his  young  companions  were 
completely  ruined  so  far  as  their  eyes  and  brains 
were  concerned. 

"  Officers  and  soldiers,  ministers  of  the  crown, 
beloved  subjects,  we,  Pinocchio  the  First,  Em- 
peror and  King,  ask  you  to  shout  with  all  the 
breath  in  your  lungs:  'Down  with  Compulsory 
Education!  Down  with  the  school!" 

A  deafening  roar,  louder  than  thunder,  arose 
from  the  people:  "Down  with  Compulsory  Edu- 
cation! Down  with  the  school!" 

This  speech  was  followed  by  a  review  of  the 
troops,  which  lasted  till  night. 

Emperor  Pinocchio,  tired  but  satisfied,  then 
returned  in  state  to  the  royal  palace. 


CHAPTER    XXXVI 
THE   EMPEROR    BECOMES    AS    BLACK   AS    A    CROW 

IT  was  no  easy  matter  to  be  an  emperor.  There 
was  a  great  deal  of  work  to  be  done,  and  work  was 
always  tiresome  to  Pinocchio.  Each  day  he  must 
get  out  of  bed  at  a  fixed  hour,  and  allow  himself 
to  be  washed  and  oiled.  Then  came  breakfast, 
and  after  that  the  ministers  with  the  affairs  of 
state. 

True,  his  work  did  not  seem  hard.  He  had 
only  to  say  "Yes"  or  "No."  But  in  the  task  of 
deciding  whether  it  should  be  "Yes"  or  "No" 
lay  the  real  difficulty. 

Sometimes  he  would  be  left  with  only  a  few 
servants,  among  them  some  boys  to  entertain  him 
or  to  drive  away  the  flies  with  big  feather  dusters, 
which  tickled  his  nose  and  made  him  sneeze. 

124 


PINOCCHIO  BECOMES  BLACK  AS  A  CROW     125 

These  were  pleasant  moments  in  his  life,  but 
he  was  often  bored,  and  being  a  cunning  rogue  he 
thought  out  a  plan  by  which  once  in  a  while  he 
could  be  freed  from  care. 

Among  the  boys  at  the  court  was  one  who  re- 
sembled him  in  all  things  except  in  the  color  of 
his  skin.  What  had  Pinocchio  planned? 

One  day,  while  strolling  through  the  woods  near 
the  capital,  he  called  the  boy  to  him  and  taking 
his  arm,  said  to  him  in  a  gentle  voice,  "Do  you 
love  your  emperor?" 

"Is  it  necessary  to  ask,  your  majesty?"  replied 
the  boy,  moved  to  tears  at  such  an  honor. 

"And  should  you  like  to  do  your  emperor  a 
favor?" 

"Your  majesty,  to  do  you  a  service  I  would  go 
at  once,  with  only  my  feather  duster  to  protect 
me,  and  pinch  a  boa  constrictor's  tongue!" 

"  Good ! "  replied  Pinocchio.  "You  are  a  fine  lad, 
and  you  will  become  a  great  man.  But  let  us 
put  aside  boa  constrictors  for  the  time.  I  have 
often  been  sad  because  I  am  not  like  my  subjects. 
I  should  like  to  color  my  skin  so  that  it  would 
be  like  a  native's,  dear  Marameho,  —  like  yours. 
You  know  how  pleased  the  ministers  would  be." 

"Your  majesty,  it  would  be  the  brightest  day 
of  our  lives!" 


126  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

"Good  boy!"  exclaimed  the  marionette.  "If 
you  always  answer  so  well,  I  promise  you  the 
place  of  keeper  of  the  king's  treasures." 

The  boy's  eyes  shone. 

"Well,  can  it  be  done?"  asked  the  marionette. 

"Nothing  more  simple,  your  majesty,"  replied 
Marameho.  "I  know  a  plant,  the  fruit  of  which 
will  serve  our  purpose." 

"When  can  we  get  this  wonderful  dye?" 

"To-day,  if  your  majesty  will  permit  me  to 
absent  myself  for  a  short  time,"  replied  Marameho 
with  great  respect. 

"Go,  go  at  once,"  ordered  the  marionette, 
greatly  delighted.  "But  wait;  there  is  something 
more.  We  are  alone  and  may  drop  our  titles. 
Your  majesty,  your  highness,  weary  me  to  death. 
Call  me  plain  Pinocchio,  and  I  will  call  you  my 
dear  Marameho." 

The  poor  boy  was  overcome  with  all  this  kind- 
ness, and  planting  a  kiss  upon  the  point  of  his 
emperor's  nose,  he  vanished  through  the  trees. 

The  next  day  a  proclamation  was  made  through- 
out the  empire.  His  royal  and  imperial  highness 
had  become  as  black  as  the  blackest  of  his  subjects. 

The  ministers  were  joyous,  and  they  celebrated 
this  happy  event  with  a  great  feast.  That  day 
they  did  nothing  but  eat  and  dance. 


PINOCCHIO  BECOMES  BLACK  AS  A  CROW     127 


As  a  rule  the  emperor,  of  course,  could  not  take 
part  in  such  amusements.  It  was  his  business  to 
sit  upon  the  throne  while  the  ministers  and  the 
people  danced  and  played  before  him.  This 
time,  however,  the  ancient  law  was  broken.  Pinoc- 
chio  danced  like  a  madman  the  entire  night,  while 
the  faithful  Marameho,  clothed  in  the  emperor's 
garments,  sat  upon  the  throne.  No  one  even 
dreamed  of  the  exchange. 


CHAPTER    XXXVII 
THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS  HUNT 

THE  next  day  was  set  aside  for  a  hunt  in  honor 
of  the  young  emperor,  Pinocchio  the  First.  He 
would  have  been  content  to  stay  at  home,  but  this 
would  have  been  taken  as  a  grave  insult  to  the 
people. 

A  herd  of  hippopotamuses  had  been  discovered 
a  few  miles  from  the  capital.  His  ministers  agreed 
that  the  emperor  must  go.  There  was  nothing 
else  for  him  to  do. 

Besides,  the  hunt  was  for  scientific  purposes. 
As  Pinocchio  had  made  known  his  views  on 
schools,  he  could  do  no  less  than  encourage  this 
expedition,  which  was  the  only  educational  train- 
ing allowed  in  the  country. 

The  hunters,  in  fact,  were  persons  of  high  rank, 
who  spent  their  time  in  searching  for  traces  of 

128 


THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS  HUNT  129 

wild  animals.  It  seemed  strange  to  Pinocchio 
that  these  learned  hunters  did  not  study  how  to 
protect  their  animals,  instead  of  trying  to  kill 
them. 

"I  suppose  it  is  the  custom  of  the  country," 
thought  the  marionette. 

Two  hours  before  sunrise  the  leaders  in  the  hunt, 
armed  with  bows,  arrows,  and  javelins,  stood  be- 
fore the  royal  palace  waiting  for  the  emperor.  He 
was  to  ride  on  the  back  of  a  bull,  which  the  prime 
minister  held  by  a  rope. 

They  were  not  kept  waiting  long.  Pinocchio 
the  First  came  forth  with  a  pleasant  smile  upon 
his  lips.  Inwardly,  he  was  very  angry,  but  little 
did  his  faithful  subjects  suspect  how  he  felt. 

"A  fine  time  for  a  king  to  rise!"  he  thought. 
"Am  I  or  am  I  not  emperor?  If  I  am  emperor, 
I  should  sleep  as  long  as  I  wish,  eat  what  I  please, 
and  do  anything  I  like.  It  seems  to  me  that  I 
am  the  slave  of  my  people  rather  than  their 
ruler.  Wait,  my  dear  subjects ;  I  will  soon  prove 
to  you  what  stuff  I  am  made  of." 

The  people  waited.  The  ministers  explained  to 
the  emperor  that  he  was  to  ride  on  the  bull. 

"My  dear  subjects,  have  you  lost  your  senses?" 
thought  the  marionette.  "I  certainly  will  not 
ride  on  a  bull.  How  long  have  bulls  been  used  as 


130  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

horses?  This  beast  will  hurl  me  into  the  first 
ditch  we  come  to.  A  fine  regard  you  have  for  your 
emperor!  I  almost  begin  to  believe  that  you  want 
to  get  rid  of  me  and  have  another  king." 

However,  there  was  no  way  of  escape,  and  he 
decided  to  do  as  he  was  told.  He  leaped  squarely 
upon  the  bull,  and  calmly  sat  there.  The  bull, 
fortunately,  did  not  move. 

"Good  beast!"  said  Pinocchio,  somewhat  en- 
couraged, as  he  gave  the  signal  to  depart. 

The  sun  was  already  up  when  they  reached  the 
river  where  the  hunt  was  to  take  place. 

Hippopotamus  hunting  is  a  very  dangerous 
sport,  but  it  was  one  that  the  people  dearly  loved. 

Scouts  were  sent  on  ahead  while  the  hunters 
crawled  like  snakes  through  the  high,  thick  grass. 
As  they  neared  the  river,  they  became  very 
careful.  With  their  eyes  fixed,  their  ears  wide 
open,  their  spears  firmly  grasped,  they  were  ready 
to  attack  at  any  moment. 

Pinocchio  pretended  that  he  was  suffering  with 
a  pain  in  the  left  foot,  and  slowly  dropped  behind 
the  others.  He  had  never  had  any  great  liking 
for  the  hunt.  He  felt  annoyed  that  he  should 
always  have  to  do  things  that  he  did  not  enjoy. 
He  would  have  stayed  where  he  was,  but  the 
prime  minister  came  along  in  search  of  him. 


THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS  HUNT  131 

Tired  of  the  insolence  of  this  man,  the  mario- 
nette thrust  back  his  hat  with  a  bold  sweep  of  his 
hand,  as  if  to  say,  "Now  I  shall  show  you  who 
I  am,  and  who  I  was."  Pinocchio  then  hastened 
toward  the  river,  reaching  the  bank  at  the  very 
moment  when  the  hunters  had  started  a  large 
hippopotamus  out  of  the  weeds. 

The  huge  animal  tried  to  get  away  and  made 
for  the  river. 

"Some  one  must  jump  into  the  water  and  kill 
it  with  the  javelin,"  said  the  prime  minister. 
Nobody  stirred. 

Suddenly  a  loud  voice  rang  through  the  still- 
ness: 

"I  will  go." 

And  Pinocchio,  amid  shouts  of  admiration  and 
terror  from  his  subjects,  dived  into  the  river  and 
swam  toward  the  animal. 

The  hippopotamus  scented  the  enemy  and  turned 
upon  him,  but  the  nimble  marionette,  swimming 
around  the  great  creature,  grasped  it  by  its  short, 
thick  tail. 

When  the  beast  felt  itself  gently  pulled  in  this 
manner  it  began  to  turn  round  and  round  like  a 
dog  chasing  a  troublesome  fly. 

This  performance,  which  was  both  funny  and 
terrible,  lasted  for  fully  five  minutes.  During 


132 


PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 


all  that  time  Pinocchio  did  nothing  but  laugh. 
He  did  not  seem  to  realize  what  would  happen  to 
him  if  he  were  clutched  by  those  terrible  jaws. 

At  length  the  animal,  blind  with  rage,  plunged 
below  the  surface  of  the  water,  leaving  the  mario- 
nette and  the  others  dumbfounded. 

This  adventure  increased  tenfold  the  admiration 
of  the  black  hunters  for  their  emperor,  although 
it  was  not  wholly  satisfactory  to  the  chief  cook 
of  the  royal  household,  who  had  already  planned 
a  great  dinner.  But  Pinocchio  quickly  consoled 
him,  assuring  him  that  when  it  came  to  eating  the 
tongue  and  feet  of  a  hippopotamus,  the  emperor 
would  cheerfully  forego  the  pleasure. 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII 

THE  EMPEROR  SURPRISES  HIS   SUBJECTS  BY 
HIS   WISDOM 

PINOCCHIO'S  power  grew  greater  and  greater. 
The  courage  shown  by  him  in  the  hand-to-hand 
fight  with  the  hippopotamus  had  made  a  great 
impression  on  the  ministers. 

The  grand  council,  for  instance,  had  assembled 
the  high  court  of  justice,  which  was  to  try  a  large 
number  of  important  cases.  The  very  next  morn- 
ing the  wise  and  brave  Pinocchio  was  urged  to 
pass  judgment  upon  the  cases  to  be  presented 
that  day. 

Pinocchio   thought  of  playing  the  usual  trick 
upon  his  ministers  by  placing  Marameho  in  his 
seat;  but  this  was  an  important  affair,  and  must 
be  attended  to  in  person. 
133 


134  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

"Dignitaries!  chamberlains!  ministers!  royal 
judges!  guards!  To  the  court!" 

The  persons  called  came  forward  and  knelt 
down  to  kiss  the  earth  before  his  majesty; 
then,  rising,  they  all  moved  on  to  the  court  of 
justice. 

Beneath  a  canopy  of  ostrich  feathers,  held  aloft 
by  a  stately  African,  walked  Pinocchio  the  First, 
Emperor  and  King  of  all  the  African  kings.  He 
was  wrapped  in  a  large  green  and  red  cloak 
covered  with  precious  stones,  —  that  is  to  say, 
with  bits  of  broken  glass  of  all  colors,  and  shining 
pebbles  collected  with  great  labor  from  the  rich 
mines  of  the  country. 

The  court  was  to  sit  in  the  open  air.  This 
greatly  pleased  Pinocchio,  for  the  day  was  very 
beautiful.  When  his  majesty  arrived  all  the  great 
crowd  of  people  knelt  and  buried  their  heads  in 
their  hands.  They  did  not  rise  till  the  judges 
were  comfortably  seated  on  the  bare  ground. 

At  a  signal  from  the  emperor  the  first  case  was 
called.  There  appeared  two  men,  each  with  his 
head  completely  covered  -by  a  large  bag  which  had 
in  it  holes  for  eyes  and  mouth.  The  men  bowed 
again  and  again  to  his  highness  and  to  the  court, 
scraping  their  noses  along  the  ground.  At  last 
they  stood  stiff  and  erect  like  posts. 


PINOCCHIO  SURPRISES  HIS  SUBJECTS     135 

The  grand  chamberlain  made  a  sign  to  Pinoc- 
chio,  and  his  majesty,  turning  to  one  of  the  men, 
asked,  "What  brings  you  before  the  emperor's 
court?" 

The  person  addressed  twisted  his  whole  body 
and  sprinkled  sand  over  his  head.  Finally  he  said, 
" There  was  once—" 

" A  king!"  thought  Pinocchio.  "Is  he  going 
to  tell  a  story?  I,  for  one,  should  be  pleased. 
African  stories  must  be  amusing." 

"There  was  once  an  old  man — a  kind  old  man 
-  blacker  than  I  am,  who  had  many  sons,  and  I 
was  one  of  them.  For  this  reason,  the  old  man, 
being  my  father  — 

"He  was  his  son.  He  reasons  well,"  thought 
the  marionette,  but  he  did  not  move  an  eyelash, 
pretending  to  be  all  attention. 

"For  this  reason,  the  old  man,  my  father,  sent 
me  to  tend  his  flocks.  One  night  I  arrived  at  the 
brink  of  the  river  to  water  the  flock.  There  I 
discovered  that  a  sheep  was  missing.  I  was  heart- 
broken over  this,  and,  not  wishing  to  return  home 
without  my  little  sheep,  I  searched  everywhere, 
but  in  vain.  The  sheep  could  not  be  found.  I 
sat  down  and  began  to  weep.  Behind  me  was  a 
thick  cane  field.  Upon  a  rock  within  the  field 
was  that  man,  with  a  sheep  between  his  knees. 


136  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

I  rushed  to  the  spot  and  shouted  out  to  him, 
'Why  have  you  stolen  my  sheep?'  He  appeared 
not  to  hear  me.  'Why  have  you  stolen  my 
sheep?'  It  was  like  talking  to  a  stone.  Blinded 
by  anger,  I  drew  nearer.  When  he  saw  me  ap- 
proach he  arose  and  ran  away.  I  hastened 
to  my  sheep  and  raised  it  from  the  ground, 
and  then  I  saw  —  it  horrifies  me  to  tell  it  — 
that  what  I  held  in  my  hand  was  only  the 
sheep's  coat.  The  robber  had  eaten  the  rest. 
My  sheep!  My  poor  little  sheep!  I  shall  never 
see  it  again!" 

Pinocchio  was  greatly  touched  by  this  pitiful 
tale.  He  had  just  opened  his  mouth  to  pronounce 
a  terrible  sentence  upon  the  thief,  who  was.  stand- 
ing motionless  as  a  statue,  when  the  minister 
whispered  to  him  to  listen  to  the  other  side  of  the 
story.  With  an  angry  look  Pinocchio  ordered 
the  accused  man  to  speak. 

He  started  as  if  he  had  been  roused  from  deep 
thought,  gazed  around,  and  then  said  in  a  grave, 
slow  voice,  "The  sun  shines  — 

"What  kind  of  speech  is  he  going  to  make?" 
thought  Pinocchio.  "Is  it  necessary  for  him  to 
say  that  the  sun  shines?" 

And  as  the  rogue  went  on  to  speak  of  starry 
skies,  blue  waters,  and  things  of  that  sort,  the 


PINOCCHIO  SURPRISES  HIS  SUBJECTS     137 

marionette  lost  his  patience  and  shouted,  "But 
did  you  or  did  you  not  eat  the  sheep?" 

"Your  majesty,"  replied  the  man,  "certainly 
I  ate  the  sheep!  Ask,  however,  who,  on  the  day 
before,  ate  three  fingers  from  my  left  hand!" 

"Your  majesty,  I  was  hungry-  "  groaned  the 
shepherd.  "I  was  very  hungry." 

Pinocchio  shuddered.  "What  kind  of  people 
are  these?  What  sort  of  place  have  I  fallen  into? 
Fortunately  for  me  I  am  made  of  wood." 

Meanwhile  the  two  had  lowered  their  heads, 
waiting  for  their  sentence.  Pinocchio  was  too 
much  shocked  to  say  a  word. 

The  grand  chamberlain  came  to  his  aid  and 
whispered  something  in  his  ear. 

"Speak!"  replied  the  marionette,  "I  bid  you 
speak,  for  whatever  you  do  is  well  done." 

The  minister  was  pleased  at  the  faith  his  majesty 
had  in  him.  He  turned  his  dark  face  toward  the 
two  offenders  and  said,  "One  sheep  and  three 
fingers!  You  shall  both  be  hanged." 

Pinocchio,  half -dazed,  watched  the  minister. 

Case  followed  case,  and  at  the  end  of  each  one 
Pinocchio  said  to  the  minister,  "Act.  I  bid  you 
act.  What  you  do  is  always  well  done." 

The  minister  knew  so  well  how  to  act  that  on 
this  one  day  there  were  sentences  amounting  to 


138 


PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 


five  hundred  years  of  imprisonment,  and  two 
hundred  years  at  hard  labor,  while  a  thousand 
prisoners  were  to  be  lashed,  and  one  hundred  were 
condemned  to  die. 


Justice  had  been  done.  The  emperor  Pinoc- 
chio  was  led  back  to  the  royal  palace  amid  the 
shouts  of  the  people.  He  was  declared  to  be  the 
mildest,  the  wisest,  and  the  most  just  of  all  kings, 
past,  present,  and  future. 


CHAPTER    XXXIX 

PINOCCHIO  TRAVELS  THROUGH  THE  EMPIRE 

IN  order  that  his  faithful  subjects  might  behold 
their  new  sovereign,  Pinocchio  the  First  resolved 
to  make  a  tour  of  the  villages  of  his  vast  empire 
and  see  with  his  own  eyes  the  needs  of  his  people. 

The  arrangements  were  made  by  the  ministers 
of  state.  Messages  were  sent  to  all  the  governors 
to  make  preparations  for  the  event,  to  select 
committees  to  meet  the  emperor,  to  provide  enter- 
tainment, in  short,  to  have  everything  in  readiness. 

It  was  a  big  task.  The  emperor,  however,  did 
not  trouble  himself  about  it.  He  amused  himself 
watching  the  crickets  and  the  birds,  laughing  at 
the  antics  of  some  little  monkeys,  and  playing  with 
his  boy  pages. 

Sometimes  he  spoke  of  his  past.  He  told  his 
pages  about  his  travels,  his  struggles,  his  suffering. 
139 


140  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

He  told  them  how  he  had  struggled  with  the  waves 
of  a  stormy  sea,  and  about  the  fish  from  whose 
stomach  he  had  rescued  his  father  Geppetto.  He 
recalled  his  dear  Fatina,  that  gentle  and  beautiful 
lady  with  the  blue  hair,  and,  placing  his  hand 
upon  his  breast,  took  an  oath,  as  emperor  and 
king,  that  he  would  have  her  come  to  Africa. 
That  thought  made  him  happy,  and  he  went  on 
to  describe  the  feast  they  would  have  on  her 
arrival.  He  had  resolved  to  make  her  queen  of 
one  of  his  states. 

Marameho  shared  the  joy  of  his  emperor,  but  a 
cloud  of  sadness  came  over  his  face  when  he  heard 
him  build  these  castles  in  the  air,  and  make  such 
plans  for  the  future.  The  poor  boy  had  already 
seen  too  many  changes  to  believe  that  anything 
in  the  world  would  last  long.  He  was  aware  that 
his.  emperor  was  in  grave  danger,  but  he  did  not 
dare  to  warn  him. 

However,  events  quickly  ran  their  course.  The 
preparations  were  completed,  and  on  a  bright, 
sunny  day,  Pinocchio  the  First,  Emperor  and 
King  of  all  the  African  kings,  took  his  place 
upon  a  litter  made  of  branches,  which  was 
borne  aloft  by  four  robust  men.  Following  these 
came  all  the  ministers,  and  the  day's  march 
was  begun. 


TRAVELS  THROUGH  THE  EMPIRE        141 

Wherever  they  went,  there  was  loud  applause 
for  the  emperor.  The  mothers  were  pleased  be- 
cause their  ruler  had  promised  to  stop  compulsory 
instruction.  They  expressed  their  thanks  in  flat- 
tering words,  some  of  which  reached  the  emperor's 
ears. 

"How  fine  is  that  wooden  head!"  said  one.  "It 
is  easy  to  see  that  he  is  a  king  of  great  endurance ! 
They  say  he  can  jump  wonderfully  —  just  like  a 
marionette!" 

Toward  evening  the  tents  were  erected.  In 
the  largest  of  these  Pinocchio  gave  a  supper  to  all 
the  ministers,  —  a  splendid  supper  which  lasted 
till  late  that  night.  A  blazing  fire  protected  the 
court  against  the  attacks  of  wild  animals  and  the 
cold  of  the  night. 

The  ministers  retired  about  midnight.  Pinoc- 
chio, left  alone,  began  to  walk  up  and  down  in  his 
tent,  with  his  hands  behind  him  and  his  head 
lowered.  He  had  seen  at  school  a  picture  of  the 
great  Napoleon  in  the  same  attitude. 

He  thought  of  his  stay  in  Africa,  and  of  the 
strange  things  which  had  befallen  him.  He 
thought  of  the  treasures  he  had  not  yet  found. 
While  pondering  on  all  these  things  he  ap- 
proached the  entrance  of  the  tent,  and  in  the 
faint  light  of  the  dying  fire,  he  saw  a  group  of 


142  PINOCCHIO   IN  AFRICA 

men  huddled  together.  Drawing  nearer,  he  heard 
them  talking. 

"If  things  go  well,  as  I  hope  they  will,  we 
shall  gather  many  presents,"  the  prime  minister 
was  saying.  "It  cannot  be  denied  that  he  is 
attractive,  and  I  am  sure  that  all  our  people 
will  vie  with  each  other  in  making  gifts.  There- 
fore, I  entreat  you  to  be  patient.  When  the 
visit  is  ended  we  will  share  what  has  been 
gathered." 

After  a  long  silence,  interrupted  only  by  the 
roar  of  a  lion  prowling  about,  the  prime  minister 
continued:  "As  for  him,  we  will  dispatch  him 
in  the  quickest  way.  If  he  were  not  of  wood," 
he  added  in  a  deep  voice,  "he  would  be  good 
roasted,  but  — 

Then  some  one  threw  an  armful  of  branches  on 
the  fire.  The  flames  lit  up  the  tent,  but  Pinocchio 
saw  and  heard  no  more,  for  he  had  vanished  out 
of  sight. 

At  dawn,  notices  were  sent  throughout  the  whole 
country  that  the  emperor  had  disappeared,  and 
that  there  was  no  trace  of  him  to  be  found! 

The  confusion  was  terrible.  The  people  every- 
where were  aroused,  —  charges  were  brought 
against  the  government.  The  matter  became  so 
serious  that  the  ministers  were  forced  to  flee. 


TRAVELS  THROUGH  THE  EMPIRE        143 

Among  those  who  escaped  was  the  prime  min- 
ister. He  went  into  the  forests  determined  to 
find  the  emperor.  Having  strong  legs  and  a  keen 
nose,  he  was  well  fitted  to  track  any  kind  of  ani- 
mal, including  a  marionette. 

In  fact,  after  many  hours  of  hard  work,  he 
beheld  the  emperor  scampering  away  from  a  herd 
of  wild  beasts.  They  evidently  wanted  to  make 


a  meal  of  him.  The  court  gentleman  knew  that 
these  animals  would  soon  give  up  the  chase,  and 
was  content  to  follow  at  a  distance.  After  a  while 
daylight  drove  the  beasts  away,  and  the  poor, 
tired  emperor  threw  himself  flat  upon  the  ground 
to  regain  his  breath.  Scarcely  had  he  done  so 
when  a  roaring  more  terrible  than  that  of  wild 
beasts  caused  him  to  spring  to  his  feet  in  the 
vain  hope  of  making  his  escape. 


CHAPTER    XL 
PINOCCHIO  IS  PLACED  IN  A  CAGE 

ALAS!  there  was  the  prime  minister.  He  had 
caught  hold  of  the  marionette  and  tied  a  rope 
around  his  neck. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  the  wrath  of 
the  poor  emperor.  He  wanted  to  say  a  few  things 
and  to  do  even  more,  but  the  cruel  minister  struck 
him  with  a  whip. 

This  kind  of  argument  convinced  the  emperor 
that  it  was  best  to  remain  quiet. 

"That  is  how  I  like  to  see  you, "  said  the  minister, 
pushing  Pinocchio  forward,  and  holding  him  by 
the  rope  as  the  farmers  do  their  donkeys  on  return- 
ing from  market. 

Thus  they  walked  a  great  distance,  until  they 
came  to  the  top  of  a  hill  from  which  could  be  seen 

144 


PINOCCHIO  IS  PLACED  IN  A  CAGE       145 

a  large  tract  of  country  covered  with  huts.  The 
minister  turned  toward  Pinocchio  and  spoke  as 
follows:  "My  dear  emperor,  we  must  decide  upon 
some  plan  of  action,  if  we  do  not  wish  to  starve. 
You  see  to  what  a  miserable  state  we  are  reduced. 
We  have  no  .money,  nor  have  we  any  food;  in 
short,  if  we  do  not  earn  something  before  night, 
we  shall  not  only  be  compelled  to  sleep  in  the 
open,  but  we  shall  go  to  bed  supperless.  If  you 
were  not  made  of  wood,  things  would  not  be  so 
hopeless,  because  I  could  eat  you  up  and  you 
would  last  some  time.  But  since  this  is  im- 
possible, I  have  resolved  to  carry  you  around 
the  village  and  place  you  on  exhibition  before 
the  public.  You  will  make  money,  do  you  under- 
stand? Now  be  good  enough  to  give  me  your 
aid.  Help  me  to  put  together  a  cage  from  the 
bark  of  these  trees.  We  shall  make  money,  - 
much  money!"  And  the  minister  rubbed  his 
hands  gleefully. 

The  marionette  did  not  share  in  his  joy.  In 
fact,  he  was  on  the  point  of  showering  bitter  re- 
proaches upon  this  unfaithful  servant,  who  was 
now  going  to  exhibit  him  in  the  public  squares, 
but  he  decided  to  wait  for  a  better  opportunity. 
Accordingly,  he  began  to  strip  the  bark  from  the 
trees  without  making  any  objection. 


146 


PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 


When  the  cage  was  completed  the  minister 
turned  to  the  marionette  and  said:  " Enter. 
From  now  on,  there  shall  be  no  more  talk  of  em- 
peror. I  am  your  master,  and  you  are  my  faith- 
ful slave.  —  Forward,  march!" 

The  command  had  been  given  in  a  way  which 
made  its  repetition  unnecessary,  and  Pinocchio 
knew  that  he  must  obey. 


«* 


CHAPTER    XLI 
PINOCCHIO  PERFORMS  FOR  THE  PUBLIC 

WITH  the  cage  on  his  head  the  ex-minister  walked 
into  the  village,  whistling  as  he  went  to  attract 
the  attention  of  the  people. 

t(  P-r-r-p,  p-r-r-p,  p-r-r-p!" 

It  was  a  holiday,  and  the  people  flocked  around 
him.  Everybody  wanted  to  see,  everybody  wanted 
to  admire  the  rare  animal  in  the  cage.  Shouts  of 
wonder  burst  forth  on  all  sides. 

It  is  easy  to  fancy  how  Pinocchio  felt !  He  longed 
to  be  a  cricket,  or  a  mouse,  so  that  he  might  hide 
in  some  hole.  How  he  wished  that  he  were  a  butter- 
fly or  a  bird  and  could  fly  to  his  home! 

He  stood  there,  huddled  up  in  one  corner  of 
the  cage,  trying  to  present  as  little  of  his  body  as 
possible  to  the  eager  eyes  of  the  crowd.  He  prayed 
for  aid  with  all  his  heart.  It  was  useless.  The 
cruel  master  saw  that  the  square  was  filled  with 
people,  eager  to  look  at  the  marionette.  He 
opened  the  cage,  and  when  Pinocchio  stepped  out 
he  made  him  run  around  in  circles  like  a  monkey. 
147 


148  PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 

Then  the  minister  addressed  the  people: 

" Africans  of  Africa!  what  you  see  here  is  not, 
as  you  believe,  an  animal;  at  least,  it  is  not  a 
wild  animal.  It  is  a  boy.  He  is  like  many  other 
boys  that  are  to  be  found  in  certain  parts  of  the 
earth.  How  he  happened  to  fall  into  my  hands 
would  be  too  long  a  story.  When  I  tell  you  about 
his  habits  and  his  mode  of  living,  you  will  be  able 
to  judge  for  yourselves  how  strange  a  creature  he 
is.  Just  think,  on  arising  in  the  morning,  he  wants 
to  wash  his  face,  neck,  and  hands,  —  and  with 
what?  Water!" 

At  these  words,  a  murmur  of  surprise  arose  from 
the  spectators,  and  some  of  the  people  laughed 
outright. 

"That  is  not  all,"  he  continued.  "When  he 
has  washed  himself,  he  passes  through  his  hair 
an  object,  made  of  bone,  that  has  long,  pointed 
teeth.  Do  you  understand  his  purpose?" 

The  mothers  looked  at  one  another,  and  some  of 
them  touched  the  woolly  hair  of  their  children, 
glad  that  their  little  ones  did  not  have  to  undergo 
such  hardships. 

"Nor  is  that  all.  You  must  know  that  when 
he  wishes  to  blow  his  nose,  he  takes  from  his 
pocket  a  piece  of  linen,  called  a  handkerchief, 
and  blows  his  nose  upon  that." 


PERFORMS  FOR  THE  PUBLIC  149 

An  outburst  of  laughter  greeted  these  words 
and  completely  drowned  the  voice  of  the  speaker. 

"But  there  is  more,  my  people!  This  individual 
possesses  the  ability  to  eat  raw  butter,  yet  his  meat 
must  be  cooked.  He  takes  porridge  with  a  spoon 
and  carries  it  to  his  mouth.  He  is  even  stupid 
enough  to  cut  bread  with  a  weapon  called  a  knife." 

The  astonishment  was  great!  When  it  had 
subsided  a  little  there  was  a  rush  to  the  huts. 
The  people  came  out  carrying  water,  raw  meat, 
and  butter.  One  brought  a  chicken,  which  the 
minister  immediately  killed  and  cooked. 

At  the  word  of  command,  Pinocchio  washed  his 
hands,  neck,  and  face.  This  the  marionette  did 
willingly,  for  he  felt  the  need  of  it.  Then  the 
broiled  chicken  was  given  to  him.  Pinocchio,  to 
the  delight  of  all,  cut  off  one  of  the  legs  with  his 
knife,  and  having  spread  it  with  pieces  of  butter, 
proceeded  to  eat  it  with  evident  relish. 

The  women  then  wished  to  see  him  comb  his 
hair.  Pinocchio,  who  had  no  comb,  passed  his 
fingers  through  his  tangled  locks,  and  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  parting  them.  Then  he  drew  a  hand- 
kerchief from  his  pocket  and  blew  his  nose.  The 
children  shouted  with  glee,  and  even  the  parents 
could  not  help  laughing  at  the  queer  things  the 
marionette  did. 


CHAPTER    XLII 

PINOCCHIO  BREAKS  THE   CAGE  AND  MAKES 
HIS  ESCAPE 

FOR  the  next  few  days  the  poor  Emperor  and 
King  of  all  African  kings  was  compelled  to  exhibit 
himself,  and  to  repeat  his  performances  before 
thousands  of  eyes  eager  to  see  his  strange  accom- 
plishments. He  was  compelled  from  morning  till 
night  to  hear  the  insults  of  the  boys  and  the  laughter 
of  the  men.  All  this  made  him  very  miserable. 

What  annoyed  him  most  was  the  warning  he 
received  not  to  refuse  to  eat  whenever  food  was 
brought  to  him.  "That  is  what  the  monkeys  and 
the  elephants  do,"  said  the  marionette  sorrowfully, 

150 


PINOCCfflO  MAKES  HIS  ESCAPE          151 

recalling  what  he  and  his  school  companions  had 
seen  when  they  went  to  the  circus. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  he  thought  of  his 
father,  of  his  dear  Fatina,  and  of  his  home.  They 
were  constantly  in  his  mind.  Slowly,  slowly  it 
dawned  upon  him  that  this  way  of  living  could  no 
longer  be  endured,  and  finally  he  was  convinced 
that  if  he  did  not  soon  see  his  little  home,  if  he  did 
not  soon  eat  the  hard,  black  crust  given  him  by  the 
loving  hands  of  his  father,  if  he  did  not  soon  drink 
the  water  from  his  own  well,  he  should  die  of  a 
broken  heart. 

"My  home,  my  home!"  he  cried,  the  tears  roll- 
ing down  his  cheeks.  "Home,  my  home!"  he 
repeated,  no  longer  thinking  of  the  gold  and  silver 
for  which  he  had  come  to  Africa. 

"I  want  to  see  my  father  again."  And  then  he 
stood  erect  in  his  cage.  His  head  went  through 
the  top  of  it  and  the  sides  fell  apart.  Away  he 
leaped  over  the  heads  of  the  crowd,  —  away  like 
lightning!  Out  of  the  village,  across  the  plains, 
beyond  the  hills!  Compared  with  him  the  swift 
south  wind  would  have  seemed  no  faster  than  a 
snail. 

He  ran  and  ran  and  ran.  Nor  did  he  make  an 
end  of  running  until  he  reached  the  wide  waters 
of  the  Mediterranean  Sea. 


152 


PINOCCHIO  IN  AFRICA 


There  he  stopped.  He  looked  back  at  Africa, 
the  land  of  all  his  empty  dreams;  then,  flinging 
himself  into  the  water,  he  said  aloud,  "I  will 
return  when  I  have  a  little  more  sense." 

At  that  moment  a  familiar  voice  shouted  to 
him:  "Good  Pinocchio!  Hurrah  for  Pinocchio!" 


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